More than 500 people showed up at LaFollette Field Saturday to play with twenty-pound pieces of fruit to benefit charity in the 34th annual Watermelon Bust, organized by the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
The proceeds of the annual affair go to the American Red Cross and A Better Way.
"It was definitely a success," event co-coordinator Joel Sheets, of Delta Tau Delta, said. "I'm very happy with the weather, the number of people who showed up to support their fraternities and sororities, and the number of people who came that weren't on a team."
The exact amount of money raised has not been calculated; however, event co-coordinators Lindsey Wilson, of Alpha Chi Omega, and Sheets estimated about $8,000 to $9,000 was collected.
The goal of the Bust was to raise $10,000. Wilson said she considered the day a success despite not meeting the goal.
"We were hoping for more," Wilson said, "but that is still a lot so I can't complain."
Sixty teams of six people participated this year, Sheets said, and more than 200 individuals attended.
The teams competed in several events, such as seed-spitting, watermelon-eating and a hug relay. The watermelon relays were the main events of the day.
There were also a number of inflatable games, including a bungee run and a maze to add to the fun. These were provided by Student Government Association.
Theta Chi fraternity president Kris Rarey attended and said he was pleased with the way the Bust turned out.
"It was a blast," he said. "I had a lot of fun with the inflatables and, of course, the relays."
More than 200 watermelons were needed for all of the games and relays, as many teams busted theirs throughout the competition.
The teams were divided up by fraternity or sorority. The victor in the fraternity division was perennial winner Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Wilson said. Kappa Delta sorority came out on top in the sorority section and Sigma Nu fraternity and Pi Beta Phi sorority won the co-ed category,
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