The weather may have been a bit chilly, but Delta Tau Delta and Alpha Chi Omega's 39th annual Watermelon Bust still received an excellent turnout, event coordinators said.
The event, which raised money for local charities, had an overall attendance of more than 800 people, while teams competed in events such as tug-of-war, an obstacle course, seed spitting and the watermelon relays.
Emily Westermeier, who was in charge of organization for Alpha Chi Omega, said she was happy to see an increase in attendance as people came out to support the community.
"We've had at least more than 15 teams from last year, and we've had a lot more participants come out," she said. "It's been really exciting that we've been able to help open our event more to the Muncie community and to the non-greek community as well."
The Watermelon Bust began as a philanthropic event nearly 40 years ago.
Funds raised from the event will be split evenly between the two organizations and then donated to two local charities. Alpha Chi Omega will donate its share to A Better Way in Muncie, which helps support victims of abuse. Delta Tau Delta will donate its share to Muncie's chapter of the American Red Cross.
Cassie Childress, vice president of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, said her sorority's teams enjoyed the events more as the day went on.
"As it warms up, people are getting a lot better, and the teams that are doing well are feeling a lot better," she said.
Sophomore Dylan Pieri competed along with members of FIJI fraternity and enjoyed the atmosphere of the crowd.
"This is my first Watermelon Bust, not really knowing what to expect, [I thought it would be] just a bunch of events with watermelons, but it was a lot of fun," he said. "There was a lot of stuff going on. It was a great time."
Pieri's favorite event was the tug-of-war, where the losers were pulled into a pit of broken watermelons, while Childress said she was a fan of the watermelon relays, the longest running tradition of the event.
"I really liked the relay, where we had to do the back and forward and the over and under, and then the headbutting, even if that is a little embarrassing," she said.
While the official total has not yet been tallied, Westermeier and Delta Tau Delta President Michael Ely expect the totals to exceed $12,000. Donations are still being accepted; anyone wishing to donate can write a check to either Alpha Chi Omega or Delta Tau Delta and deliver it to the Office of Student Life.
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