Many visitors to this year’s annual Fallon Cantaloupe Festival and Country Fair will be surprised to learn of this area's storied past with agriculture and especially with the cantaloupe.
The cantaloupe festival and fair open for a three-day run on Friday.
The festival, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary and draws more than 15,000 visitors annually, has its roots in the rich farm land of Churchill County. Originally called the annual "Corn and Cantaloupe Festival,” the corn found in the title has yielded to the popular Heart O' Gold, a sweet, juicy cantaloupe that’s still grown in the Lahontan Valley by several producers. Thus, the reverence paid to the cantaloupe and the other fruits and vegetables grown in the valley makes this the longest running agricultural festival in Nevada.
The festival added a country fair more than 15 years ago but the two events split for a number of years. The fair, though, returned in 2015 to make the weekend one big festival.
Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $2 for children 10 and under for one day. A weekend pass is $12 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under.
The link for tickets can be found at the following:
https://falloncantaloupefestival.ticketspice.com/fallon-cantaloupe-festival-2021.
Festival chairman Zip Upham strongly urges patrons to purchase their tickets in advance to avoid standing in line.
Upham said Monday he has also received inquiries about the smoke drifting over the valley from the California forest fires. He said the festival is a go for the weekend, and visitors are encouraged to wear a mask. The Environmental Protection Agency encourages people to wear N95 or P100 respirators that can help protect lungs from smoke or ash. A Colorado State University study said dual and triple-layer woven cotton masks are better at filtering out particles, compared with other fabrics. Other health professionals recommend wearing a mask when the Air Quality Index exceeds 100.
Hours for the festival will be 1 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Upham said overflow parker will be at the Miners Road lot, and shuttles will ferry visitors to the main entrance.
Friday afternoon also launches the entertainment. At the pavilion Dalton Kaady kicks of the festival at 5 p.m., and Will Shamberger follows at 6:30 p.m. Local musician Steve Christy begins the evening at 8 p.m. on the main stage followed by the Nashville Stars Live, a show that features musicians personating Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Zac Brown.
Saturday’s entertainment begins at 9 a.m. with Nick Casella followed by Evan Martin, Marty, Buddy Peterson, Shamberger, Kaade, Annabelle, Chef Clint, Larry Little, The Coaches and Steve and Raena. Strolling around the fairgrounds is Sam Malcolm, a juggler who mixes comedy with his act.
Exhibits will be displayed in the multipurpose building and include crafts, photographs and quilts. FFA and 4-H students as well as members of the High Desert Grange will be in attendance.
Rick Lattin of Lattin Farms is the area’s largest producer of melons, and he’s in charge of this year’s Farmers Market. For almost a century, the area’s history has been known for its agriculture, especially with the cantaloupe and other melons. Farmers gambled on the crop between 1920 and 1930 because of the unpredictable weather that still sweeps over the valley. Cold weather in the spring, for example, could easily wipe out a crop as could an early frost.
By 1921, high cash returns from limited acreage led to widespread melon planting around Fallon. A group of farmers organized the Churchill County Cantaloupe Growers Association and adopted the "Hearts-O-Gold" trademark for their produce.
By 1929 and 1930, the Depression and a severe drought doomed the specialty farming in Fallon. The cantaloupe needed much more water than other crops. A new hybrid cantaloupe was introduced in the marketplace that cut the demand for the Heart O' Gold.
Today several Fallon farms still produce the Heart O' Gold cantaloupe that’s coveted by many melon connoisseurs who live in Reno, Sparks and Carson City and the surrounding counties.
Cantaloupe Festival Schedule
Wednesday, Aug. 25 9 a.m. Crafts and hobbies judging
9 a.m. Fine arts judging
9 a.m. Home arts and furnishing judging
1 p.m. Amateur photography judging
4 p.m. Food & Nutrition Entry 1
4 p.m. Food Preservation Entry 1
Thursday, Aug. 26
9 a.m. Fruits & vegetables entry
12 p.m. Food & Nutrition entry 2
1 p.m. Fruits & Vegetables judging
4 p.m. Cantaloupe Growing Contest
4 p.m. Floral arrangements entry
4 p.m. Food & Nutrition judging
4 p.m. Food Preservation judging
Friday, Aug. 27
9 a.m. Cantaloupe Growing judging
9 a.m. Floral arrangements judging
1 p.m. Festival begins
5 p.m. Dalton Kaady
5:30 p.m. Dalotn Kaady/Chris Reed
6 p.m. Chris Reed
6:30 p.m. Will SHamberger
8 p.m. Concert Opening – Mustache Kitty
8 p.m. Steven Christy
9 p.m. Country Artists Tribute
Saturday, Aug. 28
7 a.m. 2021 Cantaloupe Canter
9 a.m. Nick Casella*
9:30 a.m. Nick Casella / Evan Martin*
10 a.m. Evan Martin*
10:30 a.m. Marty*
11 a.m. Marty/Buddy Peterson*
11:30 a.m. Buddy Peterson*
Noon Will Shamberger*
1 p.m. Will Shamberger/ Dalton Kaddy*
1:30 p.m. Dalton Kaady / Anabelle*
2 p.m. Anabelle / Jake Houston*
2:30 p.m. Jake Houston*
3:30 p.m. Larry Little
5 pm. Coaches
6:30 p.m. Steve & Raena
8 pm. Concert Opening – Steven Chrisne
8 p.m. Mustache Kitty
9 p.m. Fan Halen
Sunday, Aug. 29
9 a.m. Annabelle
9:30 a.m. Annabelle / Evan Martin
10 a.m. Evan Martin
10:30 a.m. Coaches
12 p.m. Larry Little
2:30 p.m. Nick Casella
3:30 p.m. Ben Stanley
Download the Fallon Cantaloupe Festival & Country Fair free mobile app for your smart phone.
