The Fallon Cantaloupe Festival & Country Fair returns this weekend with three days of food, games, contests, entertainment and activities centered on one of the city’s best-known agricultural traditions: the Hearts of Gold cantaloupe.
The festival runs from August 28 through August 30 and will feature fair exhibits, food and shopping vendors, stage entertainment, old-fashioned country fair games, contests and competitions. Off-site activities include the Cantaloupe 5K & Fun Run and the Cantaloupe Pageant.
Festival hours are 1 p.m. to midnight Friday, 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The event will also include interactive educational exhibits and activities intended to showcase local talent, celebrate Nevada’s farming legacy, and support homegrown businesses.
“The Fallon Cantaloupe Festival & Country Fair captures who Fallon is,” said City of Fallon Mayor Ken Tedford. “It’s all about coming together to celebrate our roots, our traditions, and the things that make Fallon feel like home. We can’t wait to welcome everyone for a weekend full of fun competitions and entertainment, and, of course, cantaloupe-flavored treats.”
The festival dates to 1911, when O.J. Vannoy began cultivating Hearts of Gold cantaloupes in Churchill County. The variety became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, with some melons reportedly served at the White House.
The market declined in the late 1930s, but six Chinese immigrant families preserved the crop through generations. Residents revived the celebration in 1985 in response to the growing farm-to-table movement. The event later merged with the Oasis Stampede & Country Fair in 2015.
Tickets are available for individual days or the full weekend. Adult admission is $15 for a single day, while children ages 4 to 10 pay $8. Children 3 and younger are admitted free.
Weekend passes cost $25 for adults and $12 for children. Seniors 65 and older can purchase Sunday-only admission for $5. Discounted military tickets are available at the box office with valid military identification.
Tickets can be purchased at falloncantaloupefestival.com/tickets/.
