Area growers put best items forward for three-day festival

Lahontan Valley residents define summer not by the hot temperatures that bake the region for almost four months but also by the abundance of melons that are harvested for the annual Fallon Cantaloupe Festival and Country Fair, one of Nevada’s premier agricultural events.

Every year in mid-August, growers begin to sift through their watermelons and cantaloupe along with other produce to showcase at the festival which begins its three-day run on Friday.

For longtime growers Adrian Alanis and his son Cuco and local food producer Rick Lattin, they take pride in showcasing the farm's melons and produce at the festival, which has grown synonymous with the juicy fruit that was first planted in the valley a century ago. They knew by the end of January after one of the worst snow storms in several years buried the valley with up to 18 inches of snow.

Adrian Alanis, who has worked with the Lattin family for 39 years, said he’s pleased with the number of melons that will be ready for the festival.

“We have eight acres of cantaloupe,” he said, then listing some of the types with his son: Sophie’s Choice, Honey Dew and Hearts of Gold. “I planted lots of Hearts of Gold.”

Lattin added the melons are firm and good.

Both Adrian and Cuco said they planted the melons at different times so they would be ripe by harvest time this month.

The melon crop promised to be as good as last year’s, which is a relief to Fallon’s growers. A fungal disease wiped out much of the harvest, and Lattin Farms was short of melons. On one day, Cuco said they filled 14 cases, and then the productivity fell off to two to three cases.

Buoyed by a good growing year in 2023, the Fallon growers can’t wait to show their produce and melons at this month’s festival. Both Rick and Cuco said they planted the melons at four different times this year, beginning with the first on May 5 and the last planting two months ago. When the farm is not growing melons, Lattin said they have the ability to grow raspberries for most of the year and a freezer to put the berries in.

Lattin added it’s been a busy summer with growing tomatoes and pumpkins, and he expects the farm will grow at least 7,000 pumpkins. They were planted several months ago and should be ready in early autumn.

“If the weather is good, we’ll pick in October,” Adrian said.

Since this year’s has resulted in a bumper crop of melons and other vegetables, Cuco said any excessive food is donated to the local food bank, and he and Adrian ensure the produce is rip and hasn’t rotted.

Visitors to the festival will be able to buy the famous Hearts of Gold cantaloupe and other melons and produce at a stand run by Cuco and his family. Lattin said another booth will sell the jams and other processed food. Other food producers will also showcase their produce and jams and jellies at the festival.

And as always, if visitors to the Lahontan Valley want to buy their vegetables and melons at Lattin Farms, they can stop in at 1955 McLean Road every day except Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Their website is www.lattinfarms.com.