THE CANTALOUPE FESTIVAL:
A TRIBUTE TO THE HEARTS O' GOLD YEARS

One of Fallon's marquee special events is the Annual Hearts O' Gold Cantaloupe Festival each Labor Day Weekend. The festival, now in its 17th year, features a farmer's market, arts & crafts, a country faire, cantaloupe foods, games, and contests, a mud volleyball tournament, Lion’s Club junior rodeo & parade, European beer garden, petting zoo, pony and wagon rides, and continuous live music all festival long.

The popular festival that draws over 20,000 visitors every year was inspired by the rich farm land of Fallon and Churchill County and the wonderful produce grown on it. In fact, in its inception it was called the annual "Corn and Cantaloupe Festival." The corn in the name has since given way to the very popular Heart O' Gold, a sweet, juicy cantaloupe that is still grown in the valley, but not in the numbers produced during its heyday.

Often fondly remembered as an experiment, the Hearts O' Gold cantaloupe was grown extensively between 1920 and 1930. Farmers gambled on the crop from the minute it went into the ground until it reached the consumer. A severe Spring could easily wipe out a crop. An early Fall frost could sneak in and kill the plants not quite ready for harvest. Poor packing had its way of splitting the fruit before it reached its destination. And, competition from other markets in the West made growing the cantaloupe a calculated risk at best.

Yet, for fifteen years, Fallon produced the "king of cantaloupes" and virtually cornered the market with a reputation for jumbo-sized melons with unmatched sweetness. The cantaloupes were coveted by some of the most exclusive restaurants in Reno, San Francisco and Salt Lake City, and shipped east to markets as far away as New York.

The experiment began with the Newlands Project of 1903, the nation's first land reclamation project that diverted water from the Truckee and Carson Rivers to reclaim the land from the desert. The project produced the lush green farms and vast ranches that remain a part of Fallon's economy and personality today.

At first, settlers of Fallon rarely planted cash crops, preferring instead to raise cattle and alfalfa to feed them. These early hay farmers watched as farmers from California came to the valley and, using intensive growing methods, began to plant strawberries, melons, and fancy vegetables. These new farmers often got the same price for a crate of fine berries that another got for a ton of hay. One of the first recognized experts in farming such fancy crops was O.J. Vannoy.

Vannoy was meticulous in selecting the right soil and sun areas for specific crops, preferring well drained fields with slightly higher surrounding lands. He understood the need for heavy fertilization, and protecting the crops from frost and insects. Vannoy was experimenting with cantaloupes and strawberries as early as 1911.

By 1921, high cash returns from limited acreage led to widespread melon planting in the Newlands project. A group of farmers organized the Churchill County Cantaloupe Growers Association and adopted the "Hearts-O-Gold" trademark for their produce. The association worked on efforts to reduce shipping costs, improve and protect the quality of cantaloupes shipped, packaging, and creating more markets for the melon. Finding a reliable produce and distribution company to represent and ship the melons was always a major concern and the association went through several relationships.

This boom period for the Hearts O' Gold cantaloupe saw some 44 farms growing melons on over 500 acres of prime land in Fallon and around Fernley. This period also saw some severe blows dealt to the farmers and distribution companies. A Railroad strike, drought, and stiff competition from California and Colorado farms took there toll on profits. In addition, the development of a hybrid melon that shipped better and was faster to grow was looming on the horizon.

By 1929 and 1930, the depression and a severe drought doomed the specialty farming in Fallon. The cantaloupe needed much more water than other crops. A new hybrid cantaloupe was introduced in the market place that cut the demand for the Heart O' Gold. The problems with fruit spoilage and splitting during shipping of the Heart O' Gold were never solved. The romance with the Heart O' Gold was over but will never be forgotten.

Today, a few Fallon farms still produce the Heart O' Gold cantaloupe which are coveted by many who live in the nearby urban areas of Reno, Sparks, and Carson City. Occasionally, these same areas offer the melon in fine restaurants and supermarkets predominately signed "Hearts O' Gold Cantaloupe from Fallon." Of course, the melons are also grown for the annual festival for which the cantaloupe lends its name. There is nothing that compares to a full-slip (fully matured and ready to fall from the vine) Hearts O' Gold cantaloupe in freshness and juicy sweetness. It is to celebrate!