The 2nd annual Turlock Melon Carnival will get underway today.

“We’ve had overwhelming community support,” said marketing coordinator Alix Ribeiro-Clausen in August. “We were very impressed with the number of people who came out last year, all the sponsors that we had. We've learned that community and togetherness and hometown pride really brings a lot of people together, and that's why everybody was so excited to be there last year and are looking forward to this year’s festivities.”

The Turlock Melon Carnival was first held in 1911, organized by the Board of Trade in hopes of promoting and marketing the local melon industry and melon shipping businesses. It was an immediate hit with community members and visitors, drawing an estimated 5,000 people. A second carnival was held in 1912, drawing 10,000. The carnival was held intermittently until 1925 and by 1956, it had transformed into what we know today as the Stanislaus County Fair.

Many of the events and activities from yesteryear were applied to the carnival when it was revived last year, and they will take place once more this weekend.

The fun begins at 4 p.m. today with the opening ceremonies in the area of Main and Center streets. Shortly thereafter at 5:30 p.m. will be the Miss Melon Pageant.

After sunset Saturday will be live music followed by a drone show at 9 p.m.

The carnival will continue Sunday at 11 a.m. with opening ceremonies, followed by the popular Kiddie Kaper Parade at 11:30 a.m. There, children are encouraged to dress up in their “melon-best” to grace the downtown crowds. Last year, several wore melon-patterned clothes, melon-shaped accessories, and some even wore melon costumes.

Sunday’s festivities will continue throughout the day and include more live music, a watermelon eating contest, cornhole tournament and line dancing class.

Community members and visitors are encouraged to keep tabs on the event website, www.TurlockMelonCarnival.com, and on their social media pages, @TurlockMelonCarnival, for all the latest updates.