CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – What started as an inside joke among friends is quickly growing into one of Charlottesville’s most unique summer traditions.

The Charlottesville Tomato Tomato Fest returns for its second year Tuesday, bringing together local farmers, artists, chefs and community members for a celebration of one of Virginia’s favorite summer crops.

This year’s festival will expand beyond its original footprint, closing a section of Graves Street to make room for more vendors, activities and visitors after last year’s turnout exceeded expectations.

For lead organizer Kendall King, the idea for the festival began during a bachelorette trip a few years ago.

“My friends took me to Nashville to celebrate my upcoming wedding, and we attended an annual tomato festival there that was huge and awesome,” King told Cville Right Now. “But the emphasis was on tomato-themed art, really, and we walked around for hours looking for an actual tomato and couldn’t find one.”

King and her husband operate September Sun Produce, a small local farm with a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. While joking with friends after returning home, they realized Charlottesville could put its own spin on the concept.

“We said, ‘Why don’t we just do the Nashville festival, but with a greater emphasis on local farmers and tomatoes themselves?'” King said. Partnering with The Little Market at Lampo, Lampo Pizza and New City Arts, Charlottesville’s Tomato Tomato Festival was born.

King believes tomatoes deserve their own celebration because they capture everything people love about summer.

“They’re a really sensitive, sort of ephemeral crop,” she said. “They taste so good when you let them ripen and then eat them right away out of your garden or farm.”

She also points to the incredible diversity of the fruit.

“There are savory varieties, there are sweet varieties, there are acidic ones, there are fruity ones,” King said. “It’s a crop that really encapsulates what the summer feels like and tastes like.”

The festival has found a natural home in Charlottesville, where King said residents already value local agriculture, small businesses and the arts.

“We’re a community that’s fairly connected to local farms and small local businesses,” she said. “I think we’re also an art-appreciative community and it’s nice to have a festival that has a really specific theme to make art about.”

This year’s expanded event will feature more vendors and additional space for visitors to explore.

“We have a permit to essentially open up Graves Street,” King said. “There’ll be more space for more vendors and for people just to take their time wandering around and enjoying tomatoes and tomato food and tomato drinks.”

Among the festival’s highlights is the Homegrown Tomato Competition, where gardeners can enter tomatoes in categories including biggest, prettiest and tastiest. Unlike last year, when local farmers judged the entries, this year’s winners will be selected by three local chefs.

Visitors can also browse the juried tomato-themed art exhibition presented by New City Arts and vote for the People’s Choice Award.

The festival also shines a light on the people behind Virginia’s tomato harvest. While many attendees will purchase tomatoes from small local farms, King noted that much of the state’s commercial tomato production depends on migrant farmworkers.

“To celebrate such an iconic crop without the awareness and support of the work that organizations like the Legal Aid Justice Center do is just negligent of the realities of tomato growing and enjoying them in our current food system,” King said.

She hopes the festival reminds attendees to think about where their food comes from while continuing to support local growers and artists.

“We’re providing another outlet for people to sell their produce and their art,” King said. “It’s encouraging to have people come out and say, ‘We really appreciate this, and we want to spend our money here.'”

More than anything, King hopes visitors leave inspired.

“I hope people are encouraged to be creative in public,” she said. “Last year, I was really moved by how much people put time and attention into their outfits.”

She also hopes the festival encourages residents to continue shopping locally long after the event ends.

“This is a really great time to shift your time and attention from big corporations to local options,” King said. “Keep supporting local farms. That’s the most awesome thing you can do right now.”

For those still deciding whether to attend, King said the festival offers something for everyone.

“It’s a really lighthearted celebration,” she said. “You don’t have to enter any of the competitions. You can just come learn about tomatoes for a couple hours.”

Along with tomato tastings from participating farms, visitors can also enjoy tomato-inspired dishes, pie from The Pie Chest, Jamaican cuisine from Rum Punch and other seasonal offerings.

“It’s a great time to eat locally,” she said. “There’s so much good food and good produce available.”