Capitol Steps Ceremonial Watermelon

A large, oblong watermelon with a dark green, banded rind placed as a decorative centerpiece on the Capitol steps. It reads as a staged prop rather than food: visually oversized for emphasis, intact and unhandled, its polished rind catching daylight and anchoring the event tableau. Staff treat it as set dressing; characters glance at it as part of the public display. Joshua Lyman invokes the watermelon rhetorically, using its anticipated presence to threaten political humiliation for Congressman Katzenmoyer rather than interacting physically with the fruit.