TONTITOWN (KFSM) -- Every year, generations of families start prepping thousands of pounds of handmade pasta for the spaghetti dinners sold during the Tontitown Grape Festival.
"My grandmother's here, my mom's here, myself and then both of my kids are actually here," said festival chairman Joseph Pianalto.
For Pianalto, serving as this year's chairman is a right of passage.
"I've been helping with this whole process with the pasta-making and the grape festival since I was probably around 8 years old," he said.
Joseph's mother Elizabeth Pianalto remembers the early years of the festival.
"Well, it started out as a picnic, you know, when the Italians first came over and they got together," she said.
During the process, volunteers young and old mix, roll and cut all of the ingredients from scratch. Some volunteers believe the fresh ingredients are what draw thousands out each year.
Although the century-old tradition continues to grow, Pianalto said that at the core, it's all about faith, family, and food.
Tontitown police are also making Grape Festival attendees aware of some new changes taking place for this years event.
The 120th Tontitown Grape Festival is August 7-11, 2018. Find a full schedule of events here.