Flip through any Edmonton grocery store flyer this week and you'll see the same seasonal produce promoted: apples, mandarin oranges, bell peppers.
But this weekend, stores are bracing for a spike in demand on an unlikely fruit: the summery watermelon.
As the Grey Cup descends on Alberta's capital, so will hordes of green-clad Saskatchewan Roughriders fans. And, as part of a bizarre tradition, they'll be on the hunt for watermelons to hollow out and turn into makeshift football helmets. There are dozens of stories explaining its origin: some say a fan once hollowed out a watermelon to create a hat to beat the heat at a game, others believe the trend started when a Roughriders linebacker sported one after a game in Regina in the seventies.
We checked in with three Edmonton grocers to see how they've prepped for melon mania.
Save-On-Foods (Stadium location)
Lance Bell doesn't need to read the sports pages to know when the Saskatchewan Roughriders are in town: He just keeps an eye on his supply of watermelons. The grocery store he manages, Save-On-Foods, is kitty-corner to Commonwealth Stadium. Like clockwork, a few hours before a game begins, fans swarm the store in search of material to make their emerald helmets.
"We can go through a bin or two of watermelons before a game," he says.
But since this is the game, he anticipates demand will reach its juicy peak.
Earlier this week he was worried his store wouldn't meet fan demand (they usually only stock watermelons in June, July and August), but Mr. Bell was relieved when a supplier called a few days ago, promising a bin, which was delivered Thursday morning. And he won't make fans hunt, either - the hefty melons are front and centre in the store, flanked by balloons and signs.
Fearing the wrath of melon-hungry fans, Mr. Bell had a back-up plan: "Our big joke was that we were going to spray-paint pumpkins green to see if we could move a few of those."
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Planet Organic
If you're in the market for a certified organic melon to gut and crown yourself with, Planet Organic has you covered.
Last November, the grocer didn't have any watermelons in stock, but the Mexican-produce gods came through for them this year with a shipment of about 80 to 90 melons.
Harry Gregg, the store's produce manager, admits his fruit-turned-headgear is for those with expensive tastes (a 10-pounder will run you about $15) but hey, the goodness of organic produce has a price.
A full-size melon might swallow up the head of wee Roughriders fans, so Mr. Gregg mentions an alternative: "We have some mini-watermelons and they're quite tasty and they might fit a baby's head."
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H&W Produce
Bedford Williams only has one bin full of watermelons at his store, H&W Produce. They usually run $4 for a 10-pounder in peak season, but this week they're about $7.
He hasn't gone out of his way to stock up on the summer fruit. He anticipates rowdy Roughriders fans will congregate at Edmonton bars and restaurants, not supermarkets.
"It's a good time, but I don't know if I want 6,000 Rider fans in my store," he says with a chuckle.
As of Thursday afternoon, he hadn't yet sold a melon to a football fan - at least that he knows of.
"I don't want to bring in 20 or 30 bins hoping Riders fans will buy them," he says. "I'll spec on iron ore or steel -- something that'll last for 20 years -- but not watermelons."