By Eesha Pendharkar

In 1917, a candy salesman named Archibald Query invented marshmallow fluff in Somerville’s Union Square. Last Saturday, an estimated 20,000 fluff enthusiasts gathered to celebrate hundred years of Query’s invention and revel in an afternoon of sticky, sweet fun.

The “What the fluff?” festival was started by Mimi Graney in 2006 as part of the arts union project, presented by the Somerville Arts Council with a number of partners. Graney pitched the Fluff Festival on behalf of Union Square Main Streets, the organization that runs the festival. “I had known that marshmallow fluff was invented here,” Graney said, “and had seen that anytime I mentioned that, people got really animated.” Graney took a step back from running the festival in 2015 to write a book of fluff entitled “Fluff: The Sticky Sweet Story of an American Icon.”

The Fluff festival has now become one of the most recognizable quirks of Somerville, being featured in magazines and travel to-dos across the country. This year, it had fluff-themed games, innovative recipes and the cooking contest. The theme was “FluffCentennial: Inspiring the Next Century of Union Square Invention,” supporting local innovation in Union Square.

Invention Alley was the newest addition, celebrating a new era of invention in Somerville. A robot that launched marshmallows was a kid favorite, and every time a marshmallow flew through the air, the kids jostled with their red butterfly nets to catch a few.

Mayor Joseph Curtatone made an appearance to announce the cooking contest winners and mingle with festival guests. “It’s an affirmation of people recognizing Somerville’s creativity, originality and diversity,” Curtatone said.

Between the live music on main stage and activities like fluff jousting and fluff musical chairs on the shenanigans stage, parents and kids found plenty of entertainment at the festival. Fluff jousting champion, 14-year-old Cecily Schultz, who came down from New Hampshire for the festival revealed why she won. “I don’t mind getting dirty or sticky,” she said. “And I’m very aggressive.”

Midway games at the very back of the festival was another favorite spot where people could take a break from the crowds and play a few games like Fluff bowling and Fluff ring toss. Somerville High School students walked around selling Fluffernutter sandwiches and Lesley university students volunteered to run the games. Sharon and Mark Miller from Cambridge stood in line to play Fluff corn hole with their 3-year-old daughter, Abigail. They said their favorite part was the music, but Abigail disagreed. “I like marshmallows,” she said.

Esther Hanig, who succeeded Graney as festival coordinator said her favorite part was watching the festival happening after months of planning with her “fluff team.” Hanig doesn’t identify with the fluff-induced New England nostalgia since she grew up in Texas and Indiana, but she said she likes to watch people having fun at the festival.

“I love that it’s kept its flavor of being a really local event,” Graney said. “Its lots of local, independent businesses doing what they normally do-put a fluff spin on it.”