Since 1956, the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival has been held in Warren, Arkansas, to celebrate the heirloom tomato that shares the festival’s name. What began as a single-day event has developed into a week-long celebration that attracts thousands to Warren’s downtown for food, music, games, a beauty pageant, a tomato-eating contest, and a unique all-tomato luncheon among other attractions.
The festival, held every June, also serves as a reunion for family and friends who call, or once called, Bradley County home. In June of 2024, the Pryor Center collected oral history interviews from festival patrons, organizers, and historians to document the festival and recognize the intergenerational commitment the people of Bradley County have for this uniquely Arkansas tradition.
#1: Warren water tower; June 2024
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#2: Bruce and Lou Anne Anderson
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#3: Michelle Castleberry
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#4: Peggy Doss
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#5: John C. Gavin
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#6: Mike Akin
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#7: Griselda Herrera
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#8: Andrew Hilton
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#9: Dana Hairston Hof
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#10: Thomas R. Jones
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#11: JeNelle Lipton
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#12: John M. Lipton
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#13: Jimmy Luster
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#14: Randy Rawls
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#15: R. Gregg Reep
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#16: Derrick Rose
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#17: Robert W. "Bob" Smalling
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#18: Danny Taylor
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#19: Joel B. Tolefree
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#20: Jeff Wardlaw
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#21: James Wells
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#22: Pageant queens behind the scenes at the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival tomato-eating contest; June 2024
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#23: Pink Tomato Festival VIP tomato-eating contest; June 2024
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#24: Pink Tomato Festival VIP tomato-eating contest; June 2024
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#25: John Davis and Joel B. Tolefree after the tomato-eating contest at the Pink Tomato Festival; June 2024
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#26: Michelle Castleberry and John Davis behind the scenes at the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival; June 2024
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
#27: Behind the scenes at the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival; June 2024
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
