Beauregard Watermelon Festival Announces Mullet Contest Winners

The Beauregard Watermelon Festival has announced the winners for the 2022 Mullet Contest in both adult and youth divisions and I am here to tell you based on the video, Billy Ray Cyrus would approve. Based on what we've seen on the Festival's social media sites the mullets were only part of the fun of this historic festival.

Louisiana loves watermelon. Our climate and well-drained sandy loam soils are perfect for growing the summertime treats. Beauregard Parish boasts exceptional soils and conditions for growing watermelons, hence the festival that they hold every year to celebrate.

But believe it or not, one of America's most endearing symbols of summer didn't get its start here in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Watermelons were first naturalized in the Middle East. The tasty treats were brought to Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. Meanwhile, the Chinese were developing their own love of watermelons about the same time.

However, it was African slave trading ships that brought the watermelon to America. Historians believe captured slaves brought the seeds from plants that grew wild on the African continent. They planted them here when they were forced to work on the plantations of Louisiana.

What Does a Mullet Have to do With Watermelons?

Actually, nothing if we're being honest. The mullet contest is more about the connection of the "country boy" hairstyle and the fact that watermelons are often viewed as a "country boy" treat. And when you throw in the fact that one of the most popular activities associated with watermelons involves spitting, I think you can connect those dots quite easily.

What is a Mullet?

The hairstyle that a lot of folks associate with artists who perform in the Country Music genre actually had its beginnings in France in the 1970s. It was the brainchild of French fashion guru Henri Mollet. However, it was a movie starring Kiefer Sutherland that gave spark to the hairstyle in the United States.

The style features a short conservative cut around the front of the face. With longer flowing locks descending down the back of the head and the neck. Hence the term "business in the front, party in the back". But for the contestants at the Beauregard Watermelon Festival, it was all business when it came time to show their stuff.

Here's how the contests in adult and youth divisions unfolded on Saturday in DeRidder. The video is courtesy of the Watermelon Festival's Facebook Page.

First the Adult Division. This was for contestants who were 12 years and older.

The audio on the video is hard to hear but I believe the winner's name is Zach Olivier from Sulphur Louisiana. All I can say is I am glad I did not have to be a judge in this competition because all of these mullets are awesome.

But not as awesome as the mullets brought to the forefront by the Youth Division of the competition. Here's how that unfolded, again courtest of the Beauregard Watermelon Festival Facebook page.

The winner of the Youth Division was a young man named Arlo. I'm sorry I didn't catch his last name but I am impressed by his mullet.

Kudos to the organizers of the Beauregard Watermelon Festival for adding this "unique" event to their lineup of fun activities. It certainly looks as if all of the contestants had a great time showing off their style and the crowd appreciated every contestant.

We can only hope that next year's festival and mullet contest will be just as much of a hoot as this year's festival was. Now we can't offer style tips on how to grow your best mullet but we can offer tips on how to pick out the best watermelon. Follow our advice and you'll be sticky and satisfied and spittin' seeds before you know it.