Motorists passing through north Hervey Thursday afternoon saw a definite sign of the times as Runt Kidd’s Sugar Shack Watermelon stand was open for business.

Kidd said the early batch of melons, grown in Spring Hill, have emerged despite adverse conditions. “It's been tough. It was cold back in spring and all this rain. It ain't been a struggle. It's been a fight,” he said.

The melons on offer Thursday, he said, were from seeds that cost $750 a pound. It’s the first wave of a harvest that will continue into the next two months.

Kidd explained when he would be selling in the parking lot of the former Car Mart. “We’ll be open today through Sunday, then we'll probably close Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday, then open back up Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”