Watermelon bus to be painted at inaugural Watercolors event in Laurel July 16

Cut-off buses full of watermelons seen traveling the back roads and busy byways in southwestern Sussex County are synonymous with summers in this part of the state. These buses are used to transport the watermelons from the field to the auction and packing houses for sale and transport to points across North America. Many of these watermelons find their way to the Laurel farmers market, also known as The Block, which was founded in 1940 and is the oldest produce auction market on the East Coast.

The inaugural Watercolors will be a single-day, community event held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, July 16 (rain date July 17) at Janosik Park in downtown Laurel. The event will feature a collaborative art activity to paint a watermelon bus owned and operated by DMC Farms. All are invited to attend. Artist John Donato will lead volunteer participants in painting a bus in a style that reflects Laurel's rich heritage and culture as a center for watermelon production, harvest, processing and sales.

The event will feature musical entertainment by Charlie and the Cool Tones, and food and drink vendors including cold summer treats available from Rita's Water Ice. The 2016 Mar-Del Watermelon Queen Amy Wigglesworth from Salisbury, Md., will be making an appearance between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.

This rolling mural will provide interpretive landscape scenes with historical and present-day elements, including agricultural compositions, signs, roadways, flora, wildlife, ponds and other community-centric subjects reflective of the Laurel area. The artwork will be engaging and relevant to community members and visitors by using a colorful and whimsical style that integrates collections of the key character points and community initiatives into the scenes, activities and messages of the characters developed. This one-of a kind mural vehicle will leave a legacy to be shared by the entire community.

For more information, contact Brian Shannon from the Laurel Redevelopment Corporation at 302-875-0601.