Coming up on July 12, the Lawton Farmers Market will hold their 14th Annual Tomato Festival at the Lawton Farmers Market located at 77 SW 4th Street from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
The festivities begin on Friday night, July 11, as the Leslie Powell Gallery, 620 SW D Avenue, hosts the Sixth Annual Lawton Farmers Market Tomato Festival Art Show and reception from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
On Saturday, July 12, the festival kicks off with a wide array of activities. The Market opens at 8:00 a.m. so shoppers can get a head start on picking up those delicious tomatoes from market vendors. Anyone who grows tomatoes is encouraged to bring their tomatoes to enter in the tomato contests. This year participants can enter their prettiest or their ugliest homegrown tomatoes in the market pavilion, and the public gets to be the judge. All tomatoes must be entered in the competition by 9:00 a.m.
The Salsa Showdown returns and this year participants can enter either a tomato-based salsa or a fruit-based salsa. There will be cash prizes for first place in each category. For the Salsa Showdown entrants must bring at least a 1-pint jar of salsa for tasting. Entries can be dropped off at the market on Thursday or Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.
This year the Onie Project, City of Lawton, Comanche County Health Department, and Southwest Growers Association are hosting the Great Tomato Catch Up 2k Family Fun Run and Walk. The Fun Run begins at 8:30 a.m. in the green area on the south side of the market building.
Other fun activities in the schedule of events include Zumba from 9:00-9:45 a.m.; Hula Hoop Workshop from 10:00-10:45a.m.; FUNctional Fitness for All from 11:00-11:45 a.m.; and Yoga from 12:00-12:45 p.m. There will also be a display of kids tomato art in the hallway, a silent auction of past Tomato Festival art in the Terry Bell Classroom during the event, and the Lawton Fire Department will be onsite with their Smoke House.
Both the Lawton Farmers Market Tomato Festival Art Competition and all activities at the Tomato Festival are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit the Lawton Farmers Market Facebook page.
