By LOIS KINDLE
The Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival is returning June 18 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and organizers are excited it’s back.
Sponsored by the Ruskin Community Development Foundation, the event will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 633 1st St. NW, Ruskin, in the vacant land in front of the Head, Heart and Hand mural near the post office.
“This particular site was selected because we wanted to draw attention to the University of South Florida/RCDF collaborative partnership, Ruskin Reimagined, creating a master plan for the redevelopment of downtown Ruskin,” said Sandy Council, RCDF president. “USF representatives plan to be there to present images and information about what the future of Ruskin could be.”
The outdoor festival, a longstanding celebration of the rich farming heritage of Ruskin, will include arts and crafts; dance teams; children’s area with games and inflatables; a variety of food, corporate, retail and nonprofit vendors; beer; and a live concert of a variety of musical genres throughout the day. It will also include a 50/50 drawing to benefit RCDF, the sale of tomato sandwiches by the GFWC Ruskin Woman’s Club and the appearance of the community’s 2022 Tomato Festival queens.
Admission is $5 per person, payable at the door. Kids 12 and younger get in free.
Craig Hardesty, of Hillsborough Community College, will present a history/heritage display of Ruskin over the years.
Thanks to a partnership between Anheuser Busch and John Deere Tractor, a special, limited-edition beer [can] (filled with Busch Light) will be sold to benefit RCDF. The partnership is part of a national initiative called Farm Rescue, and the special can promises to be a collector’s item.
The funds generated by the sale of these specialty cans are earmarked for two RCDF projects: the Earl Lennard Scholarship, which it gives annually to a graduating senior going into agriculture, and Ruskin Reimagined.
“There’s a lot of chatter lately about the plight of farmers, regulatory issues, imports, weather and other factors causing folks in agriculture to sell their farms, some of which have been in their families for generations, Council said. “Farm Rescue is doing everything it can to keep them in the industry.
LOIS KINDLE FILE PHOTO
It’s back! The Ruskin Tomato and Heritage Festival is set for June 18 at 633 1st St. NW, in the vacant land near the Ruskin Post Office. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“The Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival is personal to me because I married into a farm family, and agriculture was the major industry in southern Hillsborough County for so many years and an important part of the area’s heritage,” she continued. “Many newcomers don’t know anything about it.”
The RCDF is a not-for-profit organization established in 1994 by the Ruskin Chamber of Commerce to develop and improve the community. It has brought millions of dollars into the community through partnerships with local government, private sector, universities and other nonprofits. These include the Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center, Commongood Park boardwalk, Marsh Creek restoration, Firehouse Cultural Center, WPHX 101.90 FM Community Radio and more.
