Leamington Celebrates the Tomato This Weekend

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Tomato by Zapruderfilms from the windsoriteDOTca flickr pool

A summer time tradition for 28 years, the Leamington Tomato Festival returns this weekend.

The Historic Signature summer time event takes place at the recently completed Seacliff Park.  The park was devastated in the tornado of June 2010, and has since been rebuilt.  New trees have been planted, a children’s Splash Pad and picnic area have been added.  The “cliff’s” gently re-sloped arboreal amphitheater focuses a view on a new main stage with its backdrop to an expansive and gorgeous Lake Erie shoreline.

The festival features plenty of great live entertainment, a larger children’s village, craft venders and lots of food vendors.  Wineries from the Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island Wine Region will feature their world class Vintages.  Don’t forget the opening ceremonies, the beauty pageant and the parade.  So much is going on, for a complete look check it out on our Summer Festival Guide.

Ever wonder how it all began?

The H. J. Heinz Company of Canada Ltd.’s annual employee picnic celebrated the area’s bountiful Tomato Harvest and was a longstanding tradition. Over time community-minded citizens, with support from Heinz, extended this unique Family tradition to celebrate today’s Culture and Rural Resources with a “Tomato Festival”. We never forget… and we never look back!

Locally grown Field Tomatoes are the largest vegetable crop grown in the region and used by Heinz Canada in its food products for shipping worldwide. And – we have one of the largest concentrations of Commercial Greenhouses in the world. Our Region supplies supermarkets across North America and the World. The Tomato is the centre piece of a Festival which retains ties to a strong Family Heritage and Community Identity.