Latest / In Focus with Carolyn Hutcheson / Tomato Capital of the World - TPR's In Focus - June 18, 2026

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Tomato Capital of the World - TPR's In Focus - June 18, 2026 · In Focus with Carolyn Hutcheson

• 0:00
  Support comes from the Rosa Parks Museum on Troy University's Montgomery campus,
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  located on the spot of Mrs. Parks' historic 1955 arrest,
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  and featuring exhibits that chronicle the history of the Montgomery bus boycott.
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  More information at troy.edu slash rosaparks.
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  From Troy Public Radio, this is In Focus, and I'm Carolyn Hutcheson.
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  If you're a fan of tomato sandwiches, you're in luck.
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  Coming up Saturday is the Slocomb Tomato Festival Jamboree in Geneva County, Alabama.
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  Slocomb City Clerk Brooke Butler has a long history with the festival,
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  and she joins us with a preview of the festivities and the unveiling of a celebratory mural.
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  ♪♪
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  Brooke Butler, welcome to Troy Public Radio's In Focus.
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  Hey.
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  Brooke, as City Clerk for Slocomb, Alabama,
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  you had a special title that you won back in the early 1990s. What was that?
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  I was Little Miss Tomato.
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  I think I was around 9 or 10 years old.
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  And what did that entail? I mean, did you meet famous people? Were you on TV? What was it like?
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  I did. Back then, Marty Stewart was a big name, and he was actually our headliner that year.
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  So, I got to meet Marty Stewart. I was on the Ann Varnum show. So, all that was really fun.
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  And, of course, Ann Varnum was a famous talk show host.
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  She was. That was a very big deal.
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  Well, did you save any memorabilia from your time as Little Miss Tomato?
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  I did, even though I think it's boxed up somewhere, but I still have my crown from that.
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  Well, it sounds like a fun year for you.
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  And here you are, City Clerk for Slocum, Alabama,
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  which is enormously famous as the tomato capital of the world.
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  Yes, it sure is.
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  Can you tell us what's coming up Saturday?
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  This is the 36th annual Tomato Festival.
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  Can you give us sort of a preview of what happens at the Tomato Festival?
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  We just have some really good entertainers lined up.
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  Open ceremonies start at 1030, and that's whenever the singers will come on.
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  We've got a lot of vendors coming, and we just sit there and just enjoy the show all day long.
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  So when you look around at the vendors and they are creating all of these tomato dishes,
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  what kinds of dishes are there?
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  Well, our band usually sells tomato sandwiches.
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  That's a big draw every single year.
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  We've got some local farmers coming out, and they're going to be selling their fresh tomatoes.
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  We are selling Slocum Tomato Festival t-shirts there,
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  and we're actually giving away a tomato basket.
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  So there will be lots of tomatoes around.
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  Take us back when you were little Miss Tomato.
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  Has the festival grown since then?
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  Yes, it sure has.
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  I feel like there's a lot more vendors,
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  and I know this year there's 58 people that are going to be in the parade this year,
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  so it's going to be a little bit bigger parade for sure.
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  Are you tying into America's 250th celebration?
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  We sure are.
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  Directly after the parade, we're going to do our mural unveiling.
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  We've got a 250th celebration mural unveiling, and it's the mosaic mural.
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  And so what we did is we had 650 tiles, and each tile has a color scheme,
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  and we supplied our local Slocum Elementary School students with those tiles.
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  And so each student and some of the teachers got to paint a tile to actually be on that mural.
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  That's going to be installed this week,
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  and we're going to unveil that to the public Saturday directly after the parade.
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  And where is the mural located?
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  Is it on a building or what?
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  It is.
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  It's located on Carmer Street.
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  It's on the side of something to talk about, Boutique.
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  It's right there in front of our gazebo.
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  In other words, what Slocum is doing is actually joining the Alabama Mural Trail.
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  I've been doing a little interviewing about this trail,
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  and it's amazing because it really illustrates the history of these communities.
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  It is.
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  And the fact that you're getting young people involved, that is terrific.
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  Yes.
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  It's something that everybody can see and see what their kids did,
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  and even the kids as they grow up, they'll be able to say,
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  hey, that's my tile right there that I painted when I was in fourth grade.
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  So it's something that's going to be a part of our history in our little town for a long time.
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  So, Brooke, are the tiles their interpretation of tomatoes?
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  There are some tomatoes drawn on that, on the tiles, but it's just all kinds.
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  There's jellyfish.
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  There's rainbows, clouds.
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  It's just a variety.
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  It's really neat to see the kids' imaginations of what they came up with on each tile.
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  I think this is so unique because many of the murals across Alabama are done by artists,
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  and here you have children doing their artwork right there,
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  which, as you pointed out, is going to be historical.
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  It is.
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  It sure is.
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  And I actually got to paint one of the tiles, and I just painted a moon and a star,
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  but some of the kids, I can tell you, they painted way better than what I did.
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  Well, Brooke, everyone wants to know, what is the secret to Slocum Tomatoes?
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  Why is Slocum, Alabama the tomato capital of the world?
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  What is it?
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  I have always been told it is in our soul.
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  Does that mean it's slightly acid or that sandy loam?
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  Is it the nutrients?
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  Yes.
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  It's just more acidic and just more nutrients.
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  I'm not sure.
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  I've just always been told it's in our soul.
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  People come from all over to come down here to get tomatoes.
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  Are there different varieties of Slocum Tomatoes?
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  I don't think so.
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  Just the signature Slocum Tomato.
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  Have you experimented with different recipes with Slocum Tomatoes?
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  I have not.
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  I have had grandparents that put up tomatoes and salsa, and my mom does.
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  Well, when are Slocum Tomatoes in season?
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  Usually around the first of June.
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  And lasting how long?
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  I think at the end of July.
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  So that gives your visitors plenty of time to grab those Slocum Tomatoes.
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  We just have a lot of our local produce stands that are open.
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  They're open every Saturday.
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  They're going to be open this Saturday, and they'll all have fresh tomatoes.
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  So I think what you're stressing is the freshness of Slocum Tomatoes,
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  and that's going to be a big draw
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  because tomato sandwiches are one of the South's favorite dishes.
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  So the best thing is just come to the festival and get them fresh, right?
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  That's right.
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  Brooke, for people who want to know more about Slocum, Alabama,
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  its history and the tomato festival,
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  is there a Facebook page or a website they can go to?
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  Yes, they can go to our website at cdofslocum.org,
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  or they can go to our Slocum Tomato Festival Facebook page.
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  And the festival is going to be taking place, as I understand it,
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  in the Slocum Recreational Park.
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  This is in Geneva County, Alabama.
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  That's right.
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  Now, as a former Little Miss Tomato,
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  is there anything else you want your listeners to know about Slocum Tomatoes
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  or this world-famous festival?
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  Just come out.
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  I promise you will enjoy it.
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  If you're a tomato fan, there's going to be plenty of tomatoes around.
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  Like I said, come visit our local produce stands.
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  They're going to be open.
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  It's a busy day for them.
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  We have people come from all over, but it's just going to be a lot of fun,
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  going to have some good entertainment.
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  And what's your favorite way to eat tomatoes?
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  My favorite way to eat a tomato is a fried green tomato.
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  There are some vendors that have fried green tomatoes.
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  Well, here we are during the noon hour,
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  and, of course, that means everybody's hungry,
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  and you have just enticed them with these stories of tomatoes
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  and the big festival coming up on Saturday.
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  I want to thank you for being our guest today.
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  Thank you.
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  That was Brooke Butler, city clerk in Slocum, Alabama,
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  which is the tomato capital of the world.
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  The 36th annual Slocomb Tomato Festival Jamboree is Saturday
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  at the Slocomb Recreational Park,
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  and the city is putting out the welcome sign.
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  Thanks for joining us today for In Focus.
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  Our program is a podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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  I'm Carolyn Hutcheson, and this is listener-supported Troy Public Radio.