Cantaloupe Festival crowns a new king and queen

The Cantaloupe King and Queen Pageant has officially kicked off the countdown to the 37th annual Cantaloupe Festival and Country Fair.

At the June 1 contest on the stage of the Fallon Theatres, judges crowned Ashley and Gordon Robertson as the new festival ambassadors. The Robertsons succeeded 2022-23 royalty Ben and Karen Bassham and will reign until June 2024. The king and queen received a shared $250 cash prize, a crown, a sash and jewelry from Montana Silversmiths.

Runners-up Gordon Allen and Carol Anderson each received an official festival hat and T-shirt.

The weekend of Aug. 25-27 the festival and fair will take over the entire 3C Event Complex (formerly the Churchill County Fairgrounds). Ticket prices remain at $10 per person when purchased online and $12 per person at the gate.

Festival Executive Director Adrienne Snow and Board Secretary Kim Klenakis said during the Fallon Chamber of Commerce’s May luncheon that last year’s festival had so many new additions it doubled in size. The committee wants to continue that trend this year.

The biggest change is the addition of a full-scale rodeo on Saturday evening. During this inaugural year, Snow said a general admission ticket for Saturday also will include admission to the rodeo.

Rock group Queensrÿche will perform on Friday night and Ned LeDoux with opener Justin Lee will play on Saturday night after the rodeo concludes. Event attendees will also see a larger farmers market.

“Growers who have not participated in years are stepping back in and growing melons,” Snow said.

Klenakis revealed Craft and Hobby: Upcycle as a new category in the country fair exhibit hall. She said the category includes indoor and outdoor upcycled and recycled items and there will be a prize for People’s Choice: Upcycle.

She emphasized that the country fair competitions are not limited to Churchill County residents and are open to any amateur in the state of Nevada.

The Colossal Cantaloupe Growing Contest is already underway. Free seeds and contest rules are available at The Twisted Branch, the Fallon Chamber of Commerce, The Village, J&K Llamas, Lattin Farms and Workman Farms. It is not required to use the free seeds for the contest.

The Aug. 26 Cantaloupe Canter 5K run/walk fundraiser for the Fallon Theatres starts at 9 a.m. from the Churchill County Aquatic Center.

Snow said a carnival, interactive family activities, acts throughout the day in the arenas and on the pavilion stage, juggler Sam Malcolm, a falconer, the Cutest Cowboy/Cowgirl contest, cantaloupe flavored treats and more round out the weekend.

Snow and Klenakis said volunteers are very important to the success of the festival. Help is needed with every aspect including manning ticket booths, driving parking lot shuttle golf carts, setting things up and taking things down. They said teens are encouraged to volunteer for all jobs but only 18 years and older may drive the shuttles.

Volunteers receive free admission for the day of their shift and also an extra-day pass.

For information, go to https://www.falloncantaloupefestival.com.