If you're talking tomatos, no town in Lancaster county reps them more than Washington Boro. Held every July for nearly six decades, the tomato festival brings thousands from all around to sample multiple varieties, including the famous Jet Star tomato. In the 1930's Washington Boro had a thriving tomato growing community, with some 200,000 crops planted alongside the Susquehanna River. Campbell's Soup was a heavy buyer of these tomatoes, though that relationship slowed during World War II as available growers left their plants behind to join the war effort.
Today, Washington Boro's annual event is just a reminder of Lancaster's history with the vegetable, as well as an indication that farm culture is still thriving in Lancaster county.
