Dixon celebrates 20 years of melons
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
3 of 3 free articles.
DIXON — Harley Hettick’s passion for melons began when he was just a boy in South Dakota. Hettick learned the melon growing and tasting trade from his Russian grandfather.
“He was always looking for the perfect melon,” Hettick said. “I taste tested a lot of melons and I got hooked on it.”
Since then Hettick is looking for his own perfect melons
“I love to eat them. I am addicted to them,” Hettick said as he sits near a truck loaded full of watermelon, honeydews and cantaloupes. The 20th Annual Melon Days celebration is an event centered on these savory fruits.
Small groups of people gather around the truck bed grabbing and weighing their melon of choice. They come in spurts buying one to two melons at a time.
“This is pretty slow,” Hettick said, compared to the rate the melons usually go at local farmer’s markets. “We work the farmer’s markets real hard. But you take what you get and you don’t complain.”
The slow rate is due in part to the fact that Melon Days almost didn’t happen this year.
“We didn’t get started until May and it was almost canceled because of lack of community involvement,” Connie Boyd said. Boyd explained that she and four others were the main organizers. Because of late planning not as many vendors were at this year’s event. They also had to cancel the children’s rodeo and the farmer’s Olympics, which was described as an obstacle course for those with farm experience.
Some events that remained were the parade, a 3-on-3-basketball tournament, melon eating contest, horseshoe tournament and cribbage tournament.
But despite the cancellation of a few events and advertising for event being delayed, Boyd said the melons are still what draw people.
“The melons are awesome, they are grown right here and a lot of people come to just get the melons,” Boyd said. “Next year will be great because we will start planning in October.”
Nadine Little Foot of Pablo made the drive down with her family to enjoy the cantaloupes.
“I have a couple to take home. They are really good,” Little Foot said.
She noticed that this year’s celebration was smaller than past ones.
“It’s kind of toned down. There was not as many booths, but I liked the music and the melons are always good.”
Parade Winners
Grand Prize Demis McLeod
Vehicles 1st - Steve Pieper and Boone Cole; 2nd — Terry Andres; 3rd — Robert Blood
Business 1st — Lake County Bank; 2nd — Stuart’s Mountain View Cenex; 3rd — Revais Creek Ranch
Mounted Horses 1st — Roy Vallej;o 2nd — Deb Sension-Hal;l 3rd — Cheyenne Cole
Kids 1st — Dixon School; 2nd — Raymond Hale; 3rd — Larry Lindquist
Other 1st — Dennis McLeod and Family; 2nd — Don Grajier
