Newfoundland

Newfoundland

Oh Newfoundland… how I wish I was there once again! To anyone that ever gives Canada crap, you are full of bologna! I must say that my trip to Newfoundland was by far one of my most memorable trips. Was it because I had an amazing tour guide/ host Mrs. Judy Bennett, or maybe a fabulous stand-in coordinator? Maybe a little of both, on top of the fact that Newfoundland is absolutely gorgeous! I am now obsessed with not only watermelons, but also the state of Newfoundland. Once Whitney (my amazing substitute of a coordinator, past National/Georgia Queen) and I first arrived at the Deer Lake airport in Newfoundland, I knew we were in for a treat. 

Mrs. Judy who was in charge of everything that weekend (from our schedule to what stops to make if we wanted fabulous pictures along our scenic route through Gros Norme National Park), and was gracious enough to pick us up at the airport at 12:30am Newfoundland time. (If you did not know this, Newfoundland is actually an hour AND A HALF ahead of standard Georgia time.) Friday was absolutely filled-to-the-brim with excitement. Bright and early Friday morning we had a scheduled seed-spitting competition that involved a local radio show. My seed-spitting skills are obviously going down the drain because I got beat by both Mrs. Judy and the producer of the show. The next big attraction of the day was our first watermelon eating competition! 

 It was held “At the Gardens” Coleman’s store located in Corner Brook. I have never felt so much like a celebrity in my life. The watermelon display and watermelon eating competition both were a huge success! Over thirty kids arrived from a local summer camp for not only the annual watermelon eating contest, but also the large amount of watermelon treats the store offered (Watermelon rice krispy treats, cream-cheese on watermelon, a carved watermelon, watermelon popsicles, and even a cake with the watermelon queen’s face on it). You could definitely tell on the kids’ faces they thoroughly enjoyed their time spent at Coleman’s. Thank you to Corey, Byron, and all the other staff members that helped out with this watermelon fun-filled event! The second stop of the day was at the Coleman’s store in Deer Lake, NF.  The one thing I can’t forget about this store was the delicious cake they fed us. The interior of the cake was made with watermelon and chocolate chips.(Here's a link to watermelon cupcakes that are similar to the cake: http://bakerette.com/watermelon-cupcakes/ )  Imagine the best tasting cake you have ever had in your life, and then times it by ten. It was absolutely amazing! The watermelon eating contest here was also an exciting one! I forgot to mention that at all of the stores, the winner and runner-up of the competition would not only win a watermelon, they also received a gift certificate to the store. Thank you to everyone at the Deer Lake store who helped make the day so eventful! The rest of Friday was spent traveling to some of the most amazing/spectacular views I’ve ever seen within Newfoundland. (For more pictures of this, find me on Facebook!) 

Saturday was filled with two more Coleman’s stores in Stephenville Crossing and Stephenville. Each store, like the others, had a watermelon eating contest and a delicious cake to serve all the customers coming through! The Stephenville Coleman’s store actually had a band playing at the store’s entrance. One of the coolest things I’ve seen at a store promotion by far! In every Coleman’s all of the store workers were so welcoming and excited about our promotion. We couldn't have asked for a better couple of days of in-store watermelon promotion success. What was even more inspiring and encouraging was Mrs. Judy’s attitude towards health and nutrition in general for not only Newfoundland, but also the United States. Our country along with hers has an issue with staying fit and active but also just having a healthy diet in general. Mrs. Judy spoke of a demonstration she did at a local school where she was there to inform kids of facts about nutrition and why it’s so important. A lot of the problem she found out was that the kids just don’t realize how bad the food they eat is for them. The more informed kids are, the less likely they are to have a HUGE problem when they’re older. If someone could replace one junk item a day with let’s just say a slice of watermelon, it could make a world of difference.This trip was not only exciting and thrilling but also a way to re-inspire me. One reason the watermelon industry is so important is because it provides a healthy option in the middle of this junk food hysteria. America let’s get fit and healthy! Eat a slice of watermelon!