There was a constant lineup for Club Italia's beaver tails treat, where people waited for more than 20 minutes at times to get their hands on the delectable pastry.

"They are delicious," said Niagara Falls resident Nancy Clayton. "We come every year for this."

Of course, the 2008 Meridian Bigga Tomatafest at Queenston Heights Park was a celebration of the fruit the festival is named for. Thousands of people turned out for the annual event which featured cooking demonstrations, live entertainment, children's activities, a best tomato sauce contest and, of course, the Bigga Tomato weigh off. The winning tomato, raised by Denise Azza, weighed 1.6 kilograms.

Mel Thompson, one of the two judges of the red fruits, said colour, size and uniqueness determined the winners in the bigga, unusual and kids' categories.

"They're not as big this year because of the weather," he said, examining a table of tomatoes. "The number of entries is dramatically down."

Thompson said too much rain and not enough sun have hurt the tomato crop, producing smaller tomatoes that don't get enough sun to ripen.

"We've had tomatoes up to five pounds in the past. This year, the biggest is 3.5 pounds."

Best sauce judge and retired chef Gabriel Fabi has been taste testing sauce since the festival began 10 years ago and said every year the sauce entries are different.

"It depends on the way the tomatoes are grown. This year there was a lot of rain and the tomatoes were more water-logged," he said.

Carol Stewart-Kirkby, the executive director of the United Way of Niagara Falls and Greater Fort Erie, said the event was a great success with more than 8,000 people attending. Organizers were still counting the proceeds at press time, but expected to have raised about $20,000.

The event acts as a warm-up fundraiser for the United Way's annual campaign in the fall.

For more information about the United Way's services, call 905-354-9342.