As a young boy Brad Rogers followed in his dad’s footsteps and watched as his father, Pod Rogers, promoted Hope watermelons all over the world. Hope promoter and co-owner of the Hope Star, Pod Rogers died in 1998, but his legacy remains strong in Hope, Arkansas. Rogers recounts the days his dad worked to reinvent the Hope Watermelon Festival.
“ The first year I know, we did absolutely everything from the pocket. We got posters and took our own personal vehicles and put up posters all over Arkansas,” Rogers said.
Rogers, who still attends the Hope Watermelon festival each year and sells t-shirts with his father’s original phrase “Home of the World’s Largest Watermelon,” said his father would be pleased with all that takes place each year to keep the Hope Watermelon Festival alive and this year’ s Tracy Byrd concert.
Hope Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mark Keith also credits Pod Rogers with the reinvention of the “modern day watermelon festival.”
“ The very first year we had the Louisiana Hayride, which would be comparable to the Tracy Bryd thing,” Rogers said.
“ Dad came up with the idea of returning to the original festival from the twenties. It has been 33 years since he started it back. This is the 33rd annual,” Rogers said. Rogers remembers the hard work involved in kick starting the festival.
“ It was a lot of hard work, it really was the first few years, just like with starting any business, you are starting without any background,” Rogers said.
Pod’s wife, Annette Rogers, said Pod traveled far and wide in an effort to make his beloved Hope and watermelons synonymous.
“ He said if he had a dime for every time he has mentioned Hope and Arkansas, he would be a millionaire,” Mrs. Rogers, who currently resides in Hope said in a past article written about Pod’s adventures and accomplishments.
She said it would take a large museum to hold all of the press clippings, pictures,letters and other items pertaining to the publicity he garnered for his hometown throughout the years.
Pod promoted water skiing on 80 pound watermelon halves decades ago at the Hemisfair in San Antonio. He shipped a melon in 1951 to Chicago, weighing over 100 pounds to famous baseball player and game commentator Dizzy Dean (from Arkansas).
Other ways Pod promoted was through television shows such as Glen Campbell’s Good Time Hour, Lawrence Welk, Joey Bishop, “ Letters to Laugh In,” Monty Hall’s “Lets Make a Deal, Merv Griffin, Smothers Brothers and twice on the Today Show with Willard Scott.
He also traveled to Canada and appeared on television productions such as Daybreak, comparable to the U.S. Today Show.
For 33 years, Pod hosted melon parties for Miss Arkansas contestants in Hot Springs.
“We went out to get TV stations, radio stations and newspapers. He did know the right people to go and speak with to get publicity,” Rogers said.
“ Dad would be absolutely proud of the way things have carried on and how the community has jumped in to work together to make this a yearly festival that rivals any state,” Rogers said.
