Diana Paluy and Bruce Gruber walk through a local farm, gazing at the green plants, some with bright tomatoes hanging from them. The Casey County residents heard about this event through a publication and traveled about 100 miles to take part in it.

“We have a farm in Casey County, and we came up here to see what everybody here is doing,” Paluy said.

It’s a compliment for an event that occurred Thursday for the second time. During Heirloom TomatoFest, visitors dropped by Need More Acres Farm in Bowling Green, where they sampled tomatoes and other local foods, met farmers and got a taste of the locavore movement.

“I love it because you get to see where your food comes from, and you get to know the people who grow it,” said Courtney Whobrey of Bowling Green. “And you feel part of it.”

Nathan and Michelle Howell started the festival last year at their Moats Lane farm as a way to let people test their products. The Howells grow 20 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, which were sliced and piled on plates for visitors to taste.

After years of selling their tomatoes at the local farmers market, the Howells found that people “wanted to try them all,” Michelle Howell said. “So, we decided to do a tomato festival.”

In addition to their tomatoes, the Howells invited local producers to offer other foods. Standing under a tent in the Howells’ backyard, people served free cakes, meat, cheese, vegetables and drinks. People chatted and sprawled on quilts that were spread out on the grass.

“If there’s a tasting, I’m there,” said Alen Zimmerman of Bowling Green.

The festival, which is sponsored by the Community Farmers Market, had a dual purpose this year. The event also featured an art auction in the Howells’ barn, which benefited local charitable efforts in Honduras. The Howells plan to travel to Honduras at the end of the year to help install irrigation systems and combat water woes there, Michelle Howell said.

While art was being auctioned inside the barn, people were busy painting their own work of art outside. Andee Rudloff, outreach coordinator at Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, outlined the image of a garden on the side of the barn and helped visitors paint the mural.

A line of children, who were speckled with paint, grasped paint brushes and concentrated on painting in the blanks.

“These are all people who are never allowed to touch paint brushes,” Rudloff said. “It’s a real, fun release.”

While some people painted and some munched on food, others inspected the rows of vines, leaves and other greenery. Paluy and Gruber also grow heirloom tomatoes, a task that is becoming more popular, they say.

As they strolled throughout the local farm, the Casey County residents gathered ideas for similar events in their hometown.

“I think this is great,” Paluy said. “We’re interested in trying to find a way to coordinate growers and farmers in our area.”