DIXON — Neither men nor melons were hard to know (as Benjamin Franklin once insisted) at Dixon’s 20th Annual Melon Days — an event filled with community togetherness and plenty of local fare.

Sanders and Lake County residents kicked things off Friday night with a cribbage tournament at the Dixon Senior Center. Saturday began with the annual Fireman’s Breakfast, also at the senior center, followed by the “Melon Day” fun-run and a horseshoe tournament. The parade — the event’s centerpiece — commenced at 11 a.m. from the Dixon school.

Throughout the day event-goers relaxed and listened to music in Dixon park. Lining the road behind the senior center were a number of vendors, including a truck full of sweet melons. There were not, however, quite as many vendors as years past.

“The economy,” event-organizer Sharon Cole cited as the reason for a decrease in vendors. “We usually have gobs of them.”

Cole added that attendance was slightly below average as well.

“It’s all down a little. We’re thinking it’s partly because of the price of gas,” Cole said. “We know it can’t be the food!”

Those who did make it to the event seemed to thoroughly enjoy the activities and the melons — although the participants in the melon-eating contests, an event that challenged kids to eat as much melon as possible in 30 seconds, may be avoiding the food for a while.

And even before Saturday’s event wrapped, Cole and co-organizer Marge Gould were thinking about next year’s Melon Days.

“There’s going to be a Buckaroo rodeo.” Gould said,

“We’ve planned to have it before,” Cole added. “But next year we’re for sure having it.”