The Milan Melon Festival

Summer is ending so I want to tell you one event that still is etched in my memory.
On
September 24, 2012
Previously On...


And that...is my Summer Memories of my Past! I still look forward to Summer even today, hoping to keep the old traditions alive and make new traditions along the way, so I can tell my children and my children's children of what I did those summers, where I've been having fun All Summer Long!...

Well...this summer wasn't the best Summer out there (I've seen worse, but I've seen better), looks like I fell-off my hammock again!...



Yeah, this summer was mediocre at best since I had some let-downs like high Heat Index Ratings, an argument with someone while I was on the clock at my job, a 4th of July Party without fireworks because of technical difficulties, and two car accidents...the 2nd one wasn't my fault, but I now remain carless since August!...



Yeah, a big crash for the summer! Speaking of Summer Crashes...there's the Cleveland Indians too who were like the Titanic, I'm sure the Cleveland jokes WILL return, and speaking of Titanic...what is the difference between Cleveland and The Titanic? Cleveland has a better orchestra and could play "Nearer My God To Thee" very well....


Okay, that's enough of my ranting! What I'm here to talk about is my last Summer Hurrah which was held on Labor Day. I know I've talked about the Milan Melon Festival briefly on my last article, but this event is something that I've went to ever since I was a baby and there were only two times I missed-out on this event, but I was older at that time. As I said before, Milan is a small town in Ohio just south-east of Cedar Point and west of Cleveland.



I know...the pic above has a lady selling melons, but The Milan Melon Festival IS about melons like watermelon and cantaloupe. The event starts on Labor Day Saturday and ends on Labor Day Monday, many events included watermelon eating contests, watermelon-balancing contests, and the crowning of the Melon Queen (No, I'm NOT making this up)!
As for me and my family, we would go on Saturday because there's a classic car contest. We'd first go to my grandfather's house and clean the classic car we'd take and leave by 10:30 a.m., otherwise the car wouldn't be judged. (It's a 1 1/2 hour ride from Garfield Hts. to Milan where I'm at). This year to our surprise...the car meet ended at 1 p.m. since a Classic Car Club pulled-out this year, but nonetheless I had a good time. Now as you can tell, I love Classic Cars and everytime we went there we would see the classic cars ranging from Ford Model T's to Plymouth Roadrunners.
After an hour, my grandpa would stay by his car while my family would walk around the Town Square and see the Arts and Craft Booths, The Book Sale, The Garage Sales and Yard Sales, eat the Carnival Foods like Corn Dogs, Fried Veggies, and Funnel Cakes, Rode on the Carnival Rides such as the Ferris Wheel, Tilt-a-Whirl, and Scrambler, and sometimes we played the Carnival Games...but I never once yelled "Shenanigans" at one of the games....



We would spend at most four hours at the Town Square and then we'd go back and meet-up with Grandpa for the Auto Award Ceremony, I don't recall my grandpa winning 1st Place, but he did win 2nd and 3rd Place many times which isn't bad. Then there would be a Classic Car Parade...when there was one (I don't remember when it was discontinued). And one time when we were in The Car Parade...my brother vomited in the backseat of my grandfather's car and also colored a Coloring Book if you know what I mean...and it was a Disney Coloring Book on top of it (Pure Irony...that's how he respects that corporation today)!

And so...we would return to my Grandfather's House in Garfield Hts. but just before we would stop at a few Yard Sales, Garage Sales, and a Produce Sale where we would get some watermelons and cantaloupes to bring back home, unfortunately we didn't get any melons from Milan this year...but I got to have a taste of their Melon Ice Cream which they sell at the Milan Melon Festival. But I never came back home empty-handed, I would get some neat stuff there from the Yard and Garage Sales that they have, this year I got a PC Game called "Ski Patrol Tycoon/Golf Resort Tycoon", and one year my sister won a goldfish there too that we had for two years and that's something since goldfish don't live that long.
With that said...despite a somewhat forgettable summer...it just comes back when I go to Milan, Ohio...so you can say "I left my Heart in Milan, Ohio"...something what Tony Bennet would say. Yeah, I have a lot of good childhood memories there at the Milan Melon Festival, and like the Cleveland Motto "There's Always Next Year"...well, there's always Next Summer! So Long Summer...maybe next year will be better!...

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