For the first time in decades, a Miss Melon Carnival royal court was crowned in downtown Turlock. The pageant held Friday night launched the return of the festival that has been a big part of the Turlock’s agricultural history.

The very first Turlock Melon Carnival was held in 1911 and was 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. In the ensuing years, the carnival was held intermittently until 1925. By 1956, it had transformed into what we know today as the Stanislaus County Fair. 

The Turlock Historical Society & Museum and countless downtown business owners decided the time was right to bring back the Melon Carnival. Festivities began on Friday and continue throughout the day today.

Much like the original Miss Melon Carnival pageants, there were both youth and adult Miss Melons crowned on Friday night. A panel of four judges scored contestants ages five through nine for the title of Little Miss Melon, contestants ages 10 to 14 years for Junior Miss Melon, ages 15 to 21 for Miss Melon, ages 22 through 40 for Ms. Melon and ages 41 and over for the title of Mature Ms. Melon.

“Turlock has held many events in our beautiful downtown, but none as special as bringing this great tradition back here to Main Street for a wonderful celebration of family, food and festivities,” said Miss Melon Pageant emcee Xavier Huerta.

After an opening line dance to Tracy Byrd’s “Watermelon Crawl,” interview questions and a song by Miss Melon contestant Jennifer LaMere, the 2024 Miss Melons were crowned.

Crowned Little Miss Melon was Bailey June Tucker. Bailey is nine years old and in the third grade at Chatom Elementary School. She is the daughter of Scott and Rochelle Tucker, and is the oldest of four children. Some of Bailey's activities include Turlock Grange, Chatom 4-H club, New Life Christian Church, and Turlock National Little League softball. Bailey is a fourth-generation pig farmer, and enjoys showing her pigs in California and across the United States. She has three Berkshire and direct sows that she breeds and plans on showing their piglets. Bailey’s great grandmother attended the very first Turlock Melon Carnival as a child.

Crowned Junior Miss Melon was Ava Harris. Ava is 12 years old and the oldest daughter of Adam and Kiernan Harris. She is in sixth grade at a local Turlock Elementary School, where she enjoys math, science and reading as her favorite subjects. In her spare time, she loves to dance ballet, jazz and tap and loves to try all types of sports.

Crowned Miss Melon was Michelle Padilla. Michelle is 16 years old and lives in Salida. She attends Central Catholic High School and is active in the FFA, student body, student marketing and social justice clubs. In her free time, Michelle likes to play with animals, make desserts for her family and spend time with friends.

Crowned Ms. Melon was Jennifer LaMere. Jennifer was raised in Hughson and still lives there today. She loves to sing and can be found out on the town singing karaoke or country swing dancing. Jennifer has a BA in Art and loves to spend time drawing or taking photographs. She is a proud board member of two local nonprofits. One of them is close to her heart as it is her sister's asthma camp, called Camp Breathless No More, a free summer camp for children with asthma here in Stanislaus County. And the second is the artistic repertoire theater collaboration, or ART Co-Lab, which is a creative group open to the public that joins together all forms of art to create collaborative shows throughout the community. She recently returned to school to earn a degree in psychology and obtain a teaching credential.

Crowned Mature Ms. Melon was Diana Galvan. Diana has calls Turlock home. She has dedicated over a decade of her life in the human services field. Diana serves as a full time behavioral faculty member at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, where she mentors resident physicians and works alongside faculty to enhance the medical curriculum. The research Diana has done on preventing burnout among medical residents highlights her commitment to improving the wellbeing of both healthcare professionals and patients. In addition to her professional roles, she is a wellness instructor at Stanislaus State and volunteers with a high school mentor mentorship program. Diana cherishes spending time with her children, exploring the outdoors and engaging in community activities. Her diverse interests, from writing and belly dancing to connecting with new people, showcase her vibrant spirit and her love for life here in Turlock.

The Turlock Melon Carnival continues today, starting with the Kiddie Kaper Parade at 10 a.m. The short but unique procession that features just children (many dressed in costumes) will walk down Main Street, beginning near the post office.

Near Palm Street will be a stage for live music, while another stage will be set up on North Center for other entertainment. At 10:30 a.m., an opening ceremony will take place on one of the stages. Half-an-hour later, the folks from Alegria Performing Arts Academy will perform.

Melon-related events will be taking place throughout the day — a watermelon eating contest at 12:30 p.m., a melon rolling competition at 2 p.m. and a cantaloupe eating race at 7:30 p.m. The competitive juices will also be flowing at a cornhole tournament at 3 p.m. Line-dancing lessons at 6 p.m. are also expected to be a popular event.

For a full line-up of events, visit: turlockmeloncarnvial.com.