Cottage residents getting in the spirit

By Staff
Melissa Cason, Franklin County Times
With the Watermelon Festival just a week away, the residents at the Country Cottage are going melon crazy as their very own watermelons are beginning to ripen on the vine.
Managing Director Betty Chesnut said several of the residents got together and planted a pack of watermelon seeds in May, and they are just beginning to see the fruits of their labor.
"We just got a bag of potting soil and a pack of seeds from the store and planted them beside the building," Chestnut said.
She added that they had to water them quite often until the rains started last month.
While growing the melons was exciting to the residents, it's definitely not their only activity surrounded by the sweet fruit. last Friday was National Watermelon Day, and to commemorate the day, the Cottage sliced open a big juicy watermelon that afternoon.
"We always have different activities for our residents, and watermelon day seemed like a great time to cut open a melon," Chesnut said.
Watermelons are 90 percent water, and are a popular treat during the summer months. Besides the local watermelon festival, the watermelon is the focal point of numerous festivals around the United States.