 The very first Melon Queen, a beautiful nurse, won a trip to Washington, D.C. where she met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House.The news wires picked up the story of the beauty queen and the Howell melons, earning front page stories in the "Chicago Tribune" and the "Los Angeles Times", and "that's how the Howell melon got famous", according to Dr. Louis May, organizer of the first festival.The festival is now managed by the Howell Area Parks and Recreation Authority.