Spitting watermelon seeds a July 4th tradition

This will be the 57th year for the contest

(PAULS VALLEY, Okla.) - In Pauls Valley, part of the July 4 festival is about watermelon seeds - spitting them, actually.

The Independence Day holiday is all about celebrating the country's history through good friends, good fireworks and good food.

The people of Pauls Valley also like to add a little competition with a fruit at many 4th celebrations.

The south-central Oklahoma city of 6,000 is once again hosting the annual World Championship Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest to see who can use their saliva to propel the fruit's seeds the farthest.

Several hundred people are expected at the 57th annual event as competitors attempt to set new records. The record for the contest was set back in 1989, when a Chicago man spit a seed 66 feet, 11 inches.

The event is held in conjunction with the city's annual fireworks show. Registration is free and participants are divided by age.

The contest is featured in Guinness Book of World Records and as a question in the board game Trivia Pursuit.