By admin 
Halloween and pumpkin-themed home decor may already be on store shelves, but a pumpkin patch in Wheatland is not quite ready for the season to begin. Still, it had heaps of families at the farm Friday enjoying a different treat-themed festival.
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Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm, 1415 Pumpkin Lane in Wheatland, opened two weeks early this year. But despite its namesake, pumpkins aren’t center stage during opening weekend — watermelons are.
For the first time ever, Bishop’s is hosting a free Watermelon Festival during the first two weekends of its season, this Friday through Sunday as well as and Sept. 4-6.
Lee Bishop, CEO and third-generation leader of Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm, said the family at the helm of the farm wanted to extend their open season, but pumpkins weren’t ready for picking by late August and the start of September. Last year, the Bishops planted a test crop of watermelons to see if the summer crop was viable for an early season opening.
The plant, which is related to the pumpkin as part of the gourd family, was similar enough to the farm’s signature crop that it grew successfully on the Bishop land. By their second season in the ground, the watermelons were perfect to share with the community.
“We’re picking (the watermelons) right here on the farm,” Bishop said. “They were grown 200 yards from here, so I think that’s pretty cool.”
What’s open during Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm Watermelon Festival?
The majority of the patch’s family-friendly activities are open during the festival, save for its corn maze.
Kid-friendly carnival rides like the merry-go-round, “Sunflower Whirl” teacup ride and the farm’s iconic train looping around the farm’s orchards and patches are open, accepting tickets and unlimited ride wristbands.
One of the newer offerings open now is a giant slide, installed for the 2025 season. Riders go down a steep slope on large inner tubes before hitting a small bump to slow down and finally stopping on a turf patch.
In addition to the farm’s traditional fall baked goods, a limited run of watermelon-infused treats is available during the festival.
To try its purest form, free slices of the sweet, juicy melon are served near the patch’s entrance. Whole fresh melons can be purchased for $5 apiece. For an extra hit of flavor, a stand near the barbecue station has chunks of watermelon seasoned with Tajin and Chamoy for only $2.
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“We picked them about 10 or 15 days ago, and they are very good,” Bishop said. “I like watermelon in general, but these ones seem to be extra juicy.”
Though festival-time temperatures aren’t expected to be as summer-scorching as they have been recently, attendees can cool off with watermelon-flavored Dole Whip, with the option to swirl it with vanilla soft serve. A kids cone goes for $6 and a regular cone — piled high with the sorbet — costs $8.
Watermelon bread, doughnuts, cookies, lemonade and bright green watermelon slushies are also available at food stands throughout the patch. For adults 21 and over, a salted watermelon hard cider is sold at the farm’s cider stand.
On Saturday and Sunday, the farm will have live music and line dancing — to Tracy Byrd’s “Watermelon Crawl,” of course. A watermelon eating competition for guests aged 5 and up is scheduled for all four weekend days of the festival.
Participants are each given half a watermelon to eat in a specified time period, and they must be consumed down to the rind. Watermelon lovers can sign up for the eating contest on the Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm website.
Though there aren’t any pumpkins up yet, there are still ample photo-taking spots, including the “watermelon house,” which features an open structure holding dozens of ripe melons.
“Come pumpkin season, in two weeks, (the farm) transitions over, and you’ll see a bunch of pumpkins out here instead of watermelons,” Bishop said. “We hope to get people out here more than once a year so they can see us in two different lights.”
How much does the Bishop’s Watermelon Festival cost?
Keeping with its normal fall-season practice, Bishop’s is not charging admission costs for the Watermelon Festival. Parking is also free in the large lot adjacent to the farm grounds.
Food, vendor goods and ride attractions are the only aspects that cost money. An unlimited ride wristband good for every attraction on the farm goes for $20 during the first two weekends — normally, it would cost $35.
The Bishop’s Watermelon Festival continues this weekend and Labor Day weekend. Throughout the remaining days of the festival, the farm is open from 9 a.m. through 8 p.m.
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