The first Summer Sunrise Watermelon Series was held in 1996. 

from the race brochure “All three races will be held at Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland. The series will provide runners with incentive to improve and stay motivated during those tough, hot summer months. The entry fee for the series is $8. Each race is $3. Only those who run all three races will be eligible for the series awards to be presented following the August 31 race. This is a no frills race. There will be no T-shirts and no individual race trophies. However, there will be watermelon after each race.”

The Watermelon 5K Series fuels scholarship funding for Polk County students—a tradition that started in 2011 and has resulted in over $123,000 awarded to deserving Polk County high school seniors.