Muscatine City Council OKs watermelon slice sculpture | #citycouncil

During the regular Muscatine City Council meeting Thursday, Mayor Brad Bark, addressing the council as the director of the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, presented a potential project for Riverside Park. He explained the $40,000 cost of the watermelon slice and the foundation had already been raised with local donations and that the council simply needed to OK the project and determine a location.

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“We have the best riverfront all the way up and down the Mississippi River,” Bark said.

The council unanimously approved the project, but no specific location along the river was determined. Bark said the idea is to have the slice somewhere people entering Muscatine – along Mississippi Drive, on the river, or on the trail system, will see it. The slice is expected to be in place before July 29 and the city is working with area farmers to be able to give slices of watermelon to RAGBRAI riders.

Bark said the idea had come from an area business that recommended Muscatine have an additional attraction. Currently on the riverfront, the city has the string of pearls (the lights on the riverfront), the Fisher of Clams statue and the Norbert Beckey Bridge. While Bark had originally thought of a water park, he said that project would be cost prohibitive. In searching the Internet, he found several areas that have a sculpture of a watermelon slice.

Muscatine and Muscatine County have been famous for growing watermelons and cantaloupes. Melons grow better in the sand that is prevalent on the south side of Muscatine. The rumor is this is how the town of Fruitland got its name.

The largest watermelon slice sculpture city workers have been able to find is 29 feet long and 9 feet tall in Chinchilla, Australia. Hoffman Industries in Muscatine has sheets of steel that the sculpture could be made of that are 40 feet long.

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The watermelon will be 40 feet long and 16 feet tall. It will be 16,000 lbs. and have an 8-foot steel base. It will be created by a local artist. He said the city is working on determining a location that won’t be in a flood plain. Bark also said the slice will be set so to not diminish the view of the river.

Council member Peggy Gordon said she preferred a location at Mulberry on the riverfront or by Pearl City Station, saying that it would not conflict with many events held by the river.

“If you think about some people who might want to come visit and take a selfie, it’s not as long of a walk,” she said.

The city is also working with MUSCO and MPW to provide lighting for the slice.