Editing Grand Bay, Alabama (section)

== Watermelon Festival ==
A July 4 tradition since 1973, the current version of the Grand Bay Watermelon Festival offers tourists and locals an opportunity to sample locally grown watermelon while enjoying local music, arts & crafts, and informative displays from area merchants and service providers.<ref>See photos online at http://www.al.com/press-register/photos/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin/view_gallery.cgi/bama/view_gallery.ata?g_id=1942 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203232201/http://www.al.com/press-register/photos/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin%2Fview_gallery.cgi%2Fbama%2Fview_gallery.ata%3Fg_id=1942 |date=February 3, 2008 }}</ref>

The annual celebration has a long and storied history, having begun during the earliest years of the 20th Century. As the community and surrounding area changed during World War II, the annual celebration was discontinued. It was revived in 1973 by the Grand Bay Junior Chamber of Commerce. Currently, it is sponsored by the Grand Bay Independent Order of Odd Fellows #73. It is currently held at the Odd Fellows Festival Park and local baseball park just north of U.S. Highway 90 on the west side of Grand Bay. It begins on July 3 from 3-7 p.m. and continues on July 4 from 10 a.m. and concludes at 6 p.m.  There is also a fantastic fireworks show that starts at dusk (about 8:15&nbsp;p.m.)  The website for the Grand Bay Watermelon Festival is: www.grandbaywatermelonfestival.org.