77th Watermelon Festival coming to Montrose. Here's the three-day schedule.

Brad Vidmar, The Hawk Eye
·2 min read

The 77th Montrose Watermelon Festival kicks off Thursday for three days of food, fun, activities and plenty of free watermelon.

Since 1945, Montrose has held the festival, which also features crafts, town-wide garage sales, a carnival, a parade on Saturday, and other entertainment.

The vendors and flea markets will be open from 5-10 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Registration for the parade begins at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, with the lineup taking place at the three-way stop by Casey's. The "Cruisin' for Watermelon" parade starts at noon.

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Other events for Thursday:

  • 5-10 p.m.- $15 armbands for unlimited rides

  • 5-9 p.m.- Bingo Tent - Montrose Ball Association

  • 5 p.m.- Food at Ivor Fowler Center-FFA Alumni Grilled Tenderloin Sandwiches

  • 6 p.m.- Princess Contest

  • 6:30 p.m.- Watermelon Eating Contest

  • 7-9 p.m.- Featured Entertainment- "Lee County Hooligans"

Other events for Friday:

  • 5-10 p.m.- Carnival opens

  • 5-9 p.m.- Bingo Tent-Montrose Ball Association

  • 5 p.m.- Food at Ivor Fowler Center-Firefighters Fish Fry

  • 6 p.m.- Performance by St. Barnabas Choir

  • 7 p.m.- Watermelon Eating Contest

  • 8-10 p.m.-Featured Entertainment- "Whiskey Friends"

Other events for Saturday:

  • 7-10 a.m.- Pancake Breakfast- Central Lee Music Department

  • 7 a.m.- Registration for 5K Run/Walk/Crawl

  • 8 a.m.- 5K Run/Walk/Crawl- Central Lee Cheerleaders

  • 11:30 a.m.- Registration for Parade

  • Noon- Watermelon Festival Parade-"Cruisin' for Watermelons"

  • 1 p.m.- Food at Ivor Fowler Center

  • 1 p.m.- Carnival Opens

  • 1 p.m.- Performance by Central Lee Impulse

  • 2 p.m.- Performance by McNamara Band

  • 3 p.m.- Parade Winners Announced

  • 3 p.m.- Performance by Debbie Frank

  • 4 p.m.- Food at Ivor Fowler Center- FFA Alumni Ribeye Sandwich

  • 4:30 p.m.- Watermelon Eating Contest

  • 5-9 p.m.- Bingo Tent-Montrose Ball Association

  • 5-7 p.m.- Performance by Kathy Dye

  • 7 p.m.- Heritage Award-Main Stage

  • 7 p.m.-Featured Entertainment-Hissen Family Campground Band including Heathers & Co.

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Advance ride tickets are 20 for $15 and can be purchased at Connection Bank in Montrose.

For more information, call 319-463-5533 or 319-524-5599 or visit the event’s Facebook page.

Brad Vidmar covers public safety and education for The Hawk Eye and can be reached via email at BVidmar@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Montrose's 77th Watermelon Festival returns to southeast Iowa