The annual Farm Bureau Watermelon Classic will return to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum on Saturday, July 4, bringing runners, walkers and families together for one of the museum’s largest fundraisers of the year.
The Independence Day tradition supports the museum’s mission of preserving, protecting and promoting Mississippi’s sports heritage for future generations while helping keep the facility open to visitors from across the state and around the world.
The event will feature a chip-timed 5K run, a 5K walk and a one-mile fun run. Organizers said cash prizes will be awarded to overall winners in the 5K run, while medals will be presented to overall and age-group winners in each event.
The race will begin on Lakeland Drive in front of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum and conclude in the parking lot of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.
Registration fees will increase after June 29. Registration closes at 5 p.m. on July 3, and organizers emphasized there will be no race-day registration.
Packet pickup will be available at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum beginning Saturday, June 27, and continuing June 29 through July 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Race-day packet pickup will be available from 6:30 a.m. until 7:15 a.m. on July 4.
Race organizers said the Watermelon Classic continues to serve as a major community event while raising critical support for the museum and its ongoing educational and preservation efforts.
To register or for more information: https://runsignup.com/Race/MS/Jackson/Watermelon
