On the second and third Saturdays of July, Washington Boro will continue its tradition of hosting the annual Tomato Festival at Washington Boro Park, 2010 River Road. The event celebrates the area's history of growing tomatoes and benefits the Blue Rock Fire Rescue.

This year, the festival will be held on July 8 and 15, and it will begin at 3 p.m. A variety of food will be available to purchase, including hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage sandwiches, barbecue sandwiches, french fries, funnel cakes, cotton candy and ice cream. Several items that feature locally grown tomatoes will also be available to purchase, including the community favorite tomato sandwich. Built around thick slices of Lancaster-grown tomatoes, the sandwiches are enjoyed by the festival's attendees each year in a variety of ways; many enjoy them with bacon, lettuce, onion and mayonnaise.

Live music will be provided from 5 to 9 p.m. on both days of the festival. Participants will also have an opportunity to play games to win prizes, among other festive activities. "Some people come for the food, some people come for the games and some people just come to enjoy the music," said Richard Schock, who is on the planning committee for the festival. "We're only a couple hundred feet from the river, so we always have a nice view, too."

The Tomato Festival was first organized by the Lions Club in 1958 as a way to celebrate Washington Boro's unique relationship with the vegetable. Due to its proximity to the Susquehanna River, the soil in the area is often mixed with sand, making it optimal for yielding a high number of tomatoes. In the festival's first year, the local growers' association sent its farmers to the event to vend their produce.

Although the festival has continued to be held annually for over 50 years, it has grown into more than just a place to buy tomatoes. In 1992, the Washington Boro Fire Company took over the organization of the event. The festival is now run by Blue Rock Fire Rescue, which was created by merging the fire companies from Washington Boro, Millersville and West Lancaster.

Blue Rock Fire Rescue now uses the Tomato Festival as a way to assist with recruitment and retention within the volunteer fire company. General expenses such as equipment costs are covered by the township, but the funds raised from the festival are used to hold banquets for Blue Rock's members and to purchase uniforms and anything else the firefighters may need.

Schock organizes the Tomato Festival with fellow planning committee co-chairs Bob Howell and Carl Miller. The committee is always looking for volunteers to assist in the kitchen or operate a stand at the festival. "People can volunteer to help in the kitchen, run a stand or help set up," he said. "Whatever someone wants to do, it would help us out."

For more information, contact Schock at 717-951-6411.