Watermelon Bust celebrates 10,000 pounds of donated foodStephanie DorschTNE Editorial Board

Stephanie Dorsch/TNE - Alicia O’Connor, Fort Gibson freshman, competes in the watermelon-eating contest during Watermelon Bust. The men of Lambda Chi Alpha present this annual event to raise cans of food and awareness for their philanthropy, the American Food Drive.

Each sorority and fraternity have a cause or organization for which they advocate and bring awareness. Lambda Chi Alpha places the American Food Drive as one of their top priorities among the other various things they are involved in on and off campus. Each year, the tradition continues as the men of Lambda Chi Alpha present their annual Watermelon Bust competition to the sororities on campus.

“This main purpose of Watermelon Bust is to raise canned goods for the local canned food pantry,” said Casey Mathis, Broken Arrow junior. “The events this year consist of a watermelon eating contest, longest slide on tarp competition, longest throw, a relay race and a dizzy bat home run derby.”Mathis said for the dizzy bat home run, the sorority participants will spin 10 times to see how far each participant can hit an item of fruit. The men of Lambda Chi Alpha have carried out the tradition of incorporating raising food for a good cause, while making it fun for the participants for more than 10 years. In 2013, the amount of cans raised through Watermelon Bust exceeded 10,000 pounds of food. “Lambda Chi Alpha has a unique philanthropy because our participation reflects directly on the community of Tahlequah,” said Mathis. “Without the men of Lambda Chi Alpha, the canned food pantry of Tahlequah would have less than half of the available food for the community.” “I love attending Watermelon Bust each year because it’s so much fun,” said Rachael Manning, Inola junior. “Not only is there a friendly competition between the sororities, but the fact that all the canned food raised goes towards people in need.”Manning said having fun and helping out towards a good cause does not get much better. “The best part of Watermelon Bust is knowing you are helping out the community and that you are apart of and having a fun time,” said Mathis. Watermelon Bust is usually presented in the fall season, but for weather delays, was moved to spring. Cans were collected from the sororities and combined with the points earned from the competitions. The winners of Watermelon Bust 2014 are the women of Sigma Sigma Sigma. For more information, email mathis04@nsuok.edu.