2009 Leamington Tomato Festival

“Leamington coined the phrase “Tomato Capital”.  Long ago the H. J. Heinz Company of Canada Ltd., held annual picnics to celebrate company and the area’s bountiful Tomato harvest.  When the annual picnics came to an end, community-minded people sought out an alternate way to celebrate the Municipality’s unique culture and rural resources – hence, the “Tomato” Festival which has grown in size and popularity ever since. 

Today, the largest vegetable crop grown in Leamington is the Greenhouse Tomato. The area has the largest concentration of Commercial Greenhouses in, and supplying supermarkets across North America. And, ‘Heinz’ uses Field Tomatoes grown by local farmers in the Essex and Chatham-Kent region in its food production which is shipped worldwide.  And, 2009 marks the 100th Year of ‘Heinz’s operations in Leamington.

The Tomato Festival, in its 26th Year, holds a strong identity within the Community and throughout the Southwestern Ontario region.  The Festival invites Community and Visitors alike to celebrate its continuing prosperity, its past achievements, and generally to have a great deal of Family Fun.

Festival’s mainstays for 2009 will return – the Parade, Pageant, “Tomato Stomp”, Golf Tournament and Continuous Main Stage Live Entertainment, Custom Car Show and Festival Tent.  And our Volunteers are seeking new events and activities to enrich the experience. So, come and enjoy the amiable pleasures found in a life that encompasses Family, Friends and Neighbours.”