A shared love for one of Appalachia’s most iconic crops — tomatoes — and a desire to bring a new, fun and family-friendly event to Canton led to a collaboration between the Canton Merchant Partnership and Mill Town Farmers Market, and the result is Haywood Grows Farm Fest and ‘Mater Mayhem 2026!
The event will begin at 10 a.m. Aug. 1, at Sorrells Park in downtown Canton. It will feature games, contests and ‘mater sandwiches. It will also offer a tomato pie-baking contest and a spaghetti-eating contest.
Kids will love the games, bouncy houses, petting zoo and Cool Cucumber sensory tent. There will be Little Miss Tomato and Little Mister Tomato contests with winners riding in the Labor Day Parade.
There will also be live music featuring Jon Shain with FJ Ventre and Angela Easterling and her band, a “Tomato” art show, a local vendor village and much more.