Stockton celebrates 66 years of tradition at Black Walnut Festival

From the El Dorado Springs Newsroom

For 66 years, the Black Walnut Festival has brought people to Stockton for a celebration rooted in small-town tradition, agriculture, and community — and this past weekend, it added another chapter to that history.

The 66th Annual Black Walnut Festival was held Sept. 24-26 in Stockton, with three days of activities culminating Saturday with a full schedule of contests, music, food, the annual parade, and the crowning of the 2026 Black Walnut Festival Queen. The Stockton Lake Sertoma Club organizes the annual event, which draws thousands of visitors to the Cedar County community.

Sadie Bull, representing Lamar, was crowned the 2026 Black Walnut Festival Queen. Reese Roberts, representing Ash Grove, was named first runner-up and Miss Congeniality.

Black Wallnut Festival bike winners

Saturday’s festivities began early with the American Legion pancake breakfast at the Community Building. The day’s schedule also included the baby contest, quilt and art show, live entertainment, FFA auction, carnival, and queen contest before The Vybes took the stage Saturday night.

One of the weekend’s biggest traditions was the annual Black Walnut Festival Parade, which stepped off at 2 p.m. Saturday. This year’s theme was “Land, Lake, Liberty,” with American Legion Trent-Sallee Post 230 serving as grand marshal.

Members of Post 230 also had the honor of carrying the colors at the front of the parade, representing area veterans and leading the procession through Stockton.

After the parade, the post reflected on the opportunity, saying it was proud to represent veterans, their families, and the Stockton community, and thanked those who came out to support the celebration.

Young participants also got into the patriotic spirit during the festival’s Kids Bike Contest. Alexander Barnes earned first place, Emmy Kirby took second, and Mason Smith placed third. Children decorated their bicycles to match the “Land, Lake, Liberty” theme before joining Saturday’s festivities.

The festival offered plenty beyond Saturday’s parade. Organizers planned approximately 100 vendors along with live music, carnival rides and youth activities throughout the three-day celebration.

The Black Walnut Festival has become closely tied to Stockton’s identity and to the region’s black walnut industry. This year’s celebration arrived just ahead of the 2026 black walnut harvest season, with Hammons Products reporting an encouraging crop across much of Missouri and the Ozarks following two shorter seasons affected by drought.

From queens and bicycles to marching bands, veterans, families and generations of familiar faces lining the parade route, the 66th Black Walnut Festival once again showcased the kind of tradition that continues to define rural communities like Stockton.

And after more than six decades, the festival remains more than a weekend on the calendar — it is a homecoming, a celebration of the harvest and a reminder of the community traditions Cedar County continues to pass from one generation to the next.