Whether you were interested in a melon-eating contest, the Miss Melon Pageant, the Kiddie Kaper Parade, or a cornhole tournament, there was something for just about everybody — and every age — this weekend at the second annual renewal of the Turlock Melon Carnival in downtown Turlock.
The carnival was first held in 1911 to promote the local melon industry. It was an immediate success, drawing an estimated 5,000 attendees.
The following year, attendance doubled.
The carnival was held off and on until 1925 and, by 1956, it had transformed into what we know as the Stanislaus County Fair.
But after nearly a 100-year hiatus, the carnival is back.
After the opening ceremonies on Saturday, there was the eagerly anticipated Miss Melon Pageant, for contests ranging in age from 5 to 105.
Bexley Brannon, a sixth-grader at Julien Elementary, was a contestant in the Little Miss division of pageant. She didn’t get the crown, but she’s OK with that.
“I didn’t win, but that’s OK,” said Brannon on Sunday, who was getting ready to participate in the Kiddie Kaper Parade. “I do it because I like helping out the community.”
She said her favorite part of the carnival was seeing the community come together.
“It’s fun,” she said.
Brannon also entered the watermelon eating contest, and was a participant in the dunk tank.
The scheduled drone show on Saturday was canceled due to windy weather conditions, but the live music couldn’t be stopped and went on until 10 p.m.
On Sunday, there was a watermelon-eating contest, a cantaloupe-eating contest, a cornhole tournament, a dunk tank, line dancing, a petting zoo, and the popular Kiddie Kaper Parade (organized by Alegria Performing Arts Studio).
Carnival Row featured local nonprofits groups, student groups, parent-teacher organizations, and others raising money for their respective causes. Each organization will keep 100 percent of their profits from the event, an important part of the Melon Carnival committee’s effort to give back to the community.
The bounce house and the dunk tank served as fundraisers for the 2026 carnival.
The Turlock Chamber of Commerce opened up a Kids Zone in Central Park, which featured games and a safe space for the littlest carnival-goers.
“The majority of it is covered by local businesses — all chamber members,” said Allie Jeffery, executive director of the Turlock Chamber of Commerce. “And we had a full baby center today, provided by our friends at Yonan’s and Grand Oak. It had changing tables, a place to nurse, snacks, diapers, and flushing toilets for toddlers so people with little kids could go in and use a real restroom without having to use the public-event porta-potties.
“We will be back for the trick-or-treat event that the downtown property owners and community group puts on. We’ll be doing trick-or-treating on Oct. 25, and then we’ll be back again on the Festival of Lights night to provide a safe area for kids.”
