Editor’s note: DeLeon offers a refreshing way to beat the heat with the annual Peach & Melon Festival. See the ad below for a full schedule of the many events planned. Its history is as rich as the fruit on display.
Each year the DeLeon Peach & Melon Festival is one of the premier events in North Central Texas, drawing thousands of visitors to the small town of DeLeon.
The Festival, as we know it today, evolved from roughly 30 years of about three different events held on an annual basis. However, the annual DeLeon attraction has been developing since 1914, more than 90 years ago.
The Free Fall Fair, which began in 1914, was the first of DeLeon’s annual celebrations.
The fair continued intermittently from its 1914 beginning until 1936. It was briefly interrupted during World War I and the Desdemona oil boom, but its largest interlude came after the 1923 fair.
In August of 1934, plans were made for DeLeon’s first annual Watermelon Festival to run Aug. 7 to 9.
An estimated 10,000 people attended the threeday event, and the impact on the DeLeon economy was significant.
The event continued to grow until the year of 1936 marked the emergence of the Watermelon and Peach Festival as DeLeon’s leading annual event.
This year marks the town’s 109th celebration and it promises the same fun happenings that have been growing since 1914 with the crowning of royalty, parade, carnival, tractor pulls, seed spitting contest, live music and much more!
For more information, visit pmdfestival.com.