WATERMELON CAPITAL

STAFF REPORTS

Turlock Journal

Turlock was once known as the “Watermelon Capital of the World” because of the region’s prime conditions for growing melons. In 1909, Turlock grew the most watermelons in California and the designation was officially celebrated in 1911 with the first Turlock Melon Carnival.

The celebration included activities like melon rolling contests and a crowning of a Melon Queen. The event was a regular festival for a few years until it was halted because of World War I. It returned in 1926 and eventually became the Stanislaus County Fair.

Anna Lundell, the first queen of the first Melon Carnival, held in Turlock, California in 1911.