The annual Watermelon Supper took on a new twist this year, bringing the community together with summer fun in one exciting event. Held at Tiger Stadium on Aug. 16, 2025, attendees enjoyed juicy slices of watermelon and watched an energetic football scrimmage, making it a memorable day for all—aside from the overwhelming heat advisory.
With school starting significantly earlier than it has in past years, scheduling has been challenging. Finding available days for hosting events adds some stress to the calendar. Athletic Director Gerry Stanford teamed up with Student Council to make this years’ Watermelon Supper memorable despite the circumstances.
“We had a collaboration with different people on ‘What if we had Watermelon Supper combined with our scrimmage’ at an early enough time to keep people out of the heat,” Stanford said. “It’s really one of the only opportunities where we can have [K-12] in one place at one time.”
Last year, Watermelon Supper marked the first time multiple groups within the district were involved. Teams ranged from middle school cheer and football to HighSteppers, cheer and other sports. The Athletic Booster Club provided all the watermelon, feeding hundreds of students and parents..
“When Watermelon Supper was at night, we were waiting for all the schools to close,” Stanford said. “It was a high school event, and we really wanted something to offer our entire community and it be something that they would enjoy.”
Watermelon Supper stems from decades ago, but the tuba song reigns on as a symbol of celebration for all at Texas High.The event aims to foster community spirit and bring everyone closer through shared enjoyment. The overall goal of the event involves creating a significant experience that highlights Texas High’s unity and pride, while watching a football game and eating watermelon.
“[The scrimmage] is to get out there in front of people, to get nervous, just enough to get the feeling back in your body of what that feels like to be in front of somebody else, with live officials,” Stanford said. ”The referees from the UIL treat it the same as they do any other game and scrimmage. So, we will too and take appropriate measures as needed.”
A scrimmage, according to University Interscholastic League (UIL) guidelines, continues to be regarded as a formal game, meaning specific rules and precautions apply. During a typical game, coaches and officials can add extra breaks and timeouts to prioritize the safety and well-being of the players.
“When it comes to a football game and a scrimmage, it’s just an opportunity for us to get out there and get to work,” Stanford said. “We usually try to make it a community event and have everybody out there.”
Senior athletes attending Watermelon Supper experience a bittersweet feeling. This event signifies the start of their final year being students at Texas High. As seniors, they treasure these last moments and take pride in the sense of achievement and fellowship they share.
“I’m glad the student athletes were recognized and got to speak on their upcoming seasons,” senior basketball player Hayden Kirkpatrick said. “It was a nice moment to be recognized as one of the seniors on the girls basketball team. I am excited for the upcoming season with [them].”
This year’s Watermelon Supper felt a little different for Kirkpatrick because of the changes, but she still enjoyed seeing the Texas High community come together once more. In her opinion, the best part remains the watermelon—perfect for a hot, end-of-summer day.
“Connecting the community to our athletes personalizes it,” Kirkpatrick said. “We had an opportunity to show the community what sports we are involved in and maybe even get more people to attend our sporting events. I will miss the family aspect of the football games, friends and Watermelon Supper. It is a fun event to get everyone excited for the upcoming football season and other sport events.”
A heat advisory during the Watermelon Supper highlighted the need to stay cool. Attendees received encouragement to drink plenty of water and keep cool.
“There’s a ton of breaks for our athletes in between the series,” Stanford said. “There’s plenty of water breaks, shade and attention out there on the kids.”
Between each session, players get a break lasting between 10 and 15 minutes to recover from the intense heat before resuming the scrimmage, maintaining the overall flow of the event.
“We’ve got some really stringent UIL precautions that we have to abide by when it comes to signs of a heat illness,” Stanford said. “Dehydration is probably the most common; just a lack of fluids in the body, and obviously heat can take that out of you.”
During these breaks, drinking water is essential to prevent dehydration and ensure players perform at their best. In the time leading up to the event, coaches and staff members prepared for the heat and took several measures to maintain healthy student-athletes.
“There are tons of precautions our trainers and coaches are in charge of: ice baths, cold towels, and water,” Stanford said. “In these cases, enough breaks [are mandatory] so their body can recuperate.”
Additional measures get implemented to safeguard not only the athletes but also their parents, staff members and all students involved in or attending the event.
“We’ve got the underneath awnings behind the stadium. They’re obviously shaded and cooled,” Stanford said. “The band is running their concession stand to keep everybody nice and full, as well as drinks and Kona Ice. We’ll have tents set up in different places across the concrete area where people can stand in the shade if they want to be standing instead of sitting.”
