Known for having the best tomatoes in East Tennessee, Grainger County’s annual Tomato Festival will begin this weekend.

The festival is held just off Rutledge Pike on the grounds of Rutledge High and Rutledge Middle schools.

The Tomato Festival is non-profit and is completely free.

“There is no entry or parking fee – the festival is free,” said Elaine Lietzke, publicity chair. “Only food, cold drinks and arts and crafts are for sale.”

During the weekend festival, many events are scheduled to take place, including a 5K run, Relay for Life, a fishing tournament, an art and photography show, a bluegrass concert, a car show, the Tydee Bowl contest and the annual Tomato Wars.

About 120 participants are signed up to participate in this year’s 5K run, which will begin at 7:30 a.m. on July 27. A registration fee of $15 is required to cover the cost of trophies and other expenses of the festival.

Over $39,000 has already been turned in for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, which begins at 7 p.m. Friday. The relay consists of teams of 8 to 15 people making the commitment to walk for a specified time.

Teams are charged a $10 per person commitment fee. For those who do not wish to participate in the walk but want to contribute, luminaries can be purchased in someone’s name.

“Luminaries are a candle with the person’s name written on it,” Lietzke said. “These go along the sidewalk during the walk.”

A new event at this year’s festival is a fishing tournament to be held at 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. on July 27 at the Olen Marshall Bridge. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m., with the entry fee being $50 per boat with a two-person limit per boat.

“Cash awards will go to the team with the biggest fish and the team with the most poundage,” Lietzke said.

The tomato festival will also host an art and photography show. For contestants, submitting the entry is free. Participants are asked to bring their work to the middle school on July 26.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, a local bluegrass band, on July 26 at 7 p.m. in the high school gym.

“There is not a bad place in the audience,” Lietzke said. “After the concert, folks will have the opportunity to meet the band.”

Tickets cost $12 at the door, with proceeds will benefiting Little League teams.

The Grainger County Ridgerunners are hosting a car show on July 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The show will be mostly classic cars and trucks,” Lietzke said.

However, the show’s feature presentation is the Jay Leno Harley, which was purchased on eBay to benefit the September 11 relief fund. The bike is signed by many actors and actresses such as Denzel Washington and Nicole Kidman.

Another new event this year is the Tydee Bowl, which will be at 2 p.m. on July 28.

“The teams will use plungers on short handles to catch water balloons,” Lietzke said.

Teams consist of three people, with the winning team receiving the Thomas Crapper Memorial Tydee Bowl Trophy. The cost of entry is $3 per team.

As usual, Tomato Wars will be held during the festival. The July 27 wars benefit the Special Olympics and will begin at 11 a.m.

“The teams of five will be wearing white T-shirts and protective glasses,” said Lietzke. “These tomatoes are not usable. They are really ripe – almost rotten.”

Lietzke said the tomato festival was started to bring the town together, and she encourages students and other UT community members to attend.