The 37th Annual Cantaloupe Festival returned to Fallon for the weekend.
The Cantaloupe festival has a little something for everyone, but the main focus is the celebration of Nevada agriculture and even though it’s called the cantaloupe festival, you’ll find all sorts of fresh farmer produce.
Adrienne Snow, Executive Director of the Fallon Cantaloupe Festival explains “The cantaloupe is a symbol of Nevada Agriculture so what we’re doing is celebrating all of the different types of agriculture that we have in Nevada.” Some farmers agree that Fallon is known for their wonderful tasting cantaloupes. Snow adds “This is the most farmers we’ve ever had, we have beef vendors, lavender vendors, vegetable farmers, cheese vendors, and dairy farmers so we’ve got an array of things to see.” Farmers say the festival is a great way for the them to come together and check out one another’s produce growing process. officials also tell us it’s great way to showcase all of the different produce farmers have to offer. Snow adds “When you can meet a farmer directly and learn to buy directly from them, they earn more for the product they put so much work into and you get a better product. Its fresher, the timeline is much shorter so it works for everybody.”
Economically officials say it’s a great opportunity for farmers to make a little more money for their hard work and dedication to produce farm to table items.
Snow says “I think as we’ve changed overtime we’re looking for new ways to purchase our produce not the traditional way and we just look for ways to connect with the source that we’re looking for. This is a great opportunity to meet those people and go local.”
The farmers say they see regulars and brand-new people every year, expanding their outreach on the community.
Samantha Allison, the owner of Lux Lavender mentions “Some people come in for the carnival, or the concert but as they’re walking through they get to see what us hard working farmers do all day.” Snow says “As we grow we would love to have more people out and be involved in this so they can actually learn more about Nevada Agriculture.”
