Last year is one, we think we can safely say, none of us would want to live through again.

We lost so much. We missed so much. If there is a thin silver lining, hopefully that loss has made us more aware of the things we value in life and will encourage us to treasure them even more.

For us, one of those things is Franklin County’s community festivals, and we’re so glad they’re back in 2021.

The biggest one is coming up quick: the Franklin County Watermelon Festival.

A little more than a month stands between the citizens of Franklin County and our beloved Watermelon Festival.

The coronavirus stole the 2020 festival from us, but it’s back, and we couldn’t be more delighted or excited for the 40th installment of this summer favorite.

Most of us see the Watermelon Festival as the must-not-miss event of the summer. Hosted by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, this annual gathering is the highlight of August; the highlight of the season; maybe even the highlight of the entire year.

We want to encourage you to mark your calendar right now and plan to attend.

From the car show and tractor show to the live music and watermelon contests, there truly is something for everyone to enjoy. So many people put in so much time and effort behind the scenes to make this a spectacular family-friendly event, with the widest possible range of activities and attractions, that it would be a real shame to pass it up.

It can be tempting to think “Oh, I don’t know if we’re going to go this year. There’s always next year.”

But as we have now learned, next year is not a guarantee.

We need to take advantage of this opportunity for fun community fellowship and not let it pass us by.

We definitely want to extend our appreciation to the multitude of hard-working folks who are now in full festival-planning mode, working every minute to see this year’s event go off without a hitch.

Aug. 20-21 will be packed with Franklin County fun – not to mention tons of juicy watermelon. The streets of downtown Russellville will be flooded with artists, craftsman, vendors, families, food, music, classic cars, pageant queens – the list goes on.

We can’t wait to be among them.

If you don’t make time to attend, you are bound to regret it. Plan now to buy your T-shirt, block off that weekend on your calendar and make your plans.

We hope you’ll join your friends, neighbors and visitors from near and far for the annual Franklin County Watermelon Festival.