Aroostook Kids visit Ayer Potato Farm
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Child labor law advocates needn’t raise an eyebrow, the 100-plus children from newborns to 12-year-olds that were picking potatoes in Ayer Potato Farm fields on Saturday afternoon were just taking part in the Aroostook Kids Playgroup. Owners of the Ayer farm presented each youth with some pretty potato-ish activities from potato stamps to a mashed potato sundae bar at no cost.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
LuLu White, 6, proudly carried her bag of freshly picked Russet potatoes from the Ayer Potato Farm fields to her car on Sept. 11. White, and between 100 to 150 others, participated in Potato Picking Day at Ayer Potato fields which was hosted in conjunction with Aroostook Kids.
The Ayers also gave each Potato Picking Play Date participant with the opportunity to partake in novelty potato-picking to fill a free five-pound bag of Russet potatoes. The tweens (10- to 12-year-olds) took to the fields with that Aroostook County know-how that had their bags filled in no time, but the younger kids, well, “they liked to play in the dirt,” said Aroostook Kids organizer Amanda Lericos.
“But they all came back with potatoes,” added Jen Ayer of Ayer Potatoes, who coordinated the event. Parents were instrumental, in many cases, in helping the youngsters make their way down a portion of a row.
Even with 100 to 150 participants at the play date, the group picked roughly two rows out of a 150,000 hundredweight — or for those not potato-lingo savvy, a fraction of a drop in the proverbial bucket.
Aside from potato picking, potato stamping and potato eating, there were coloring books, tractor rides, an opportunity to get a photo with the loveable Aroostook County icon Spuddy and home-made, tractor-churned ice cream. According to Lericos, the kids were big fans of the ice cream to the extent that many of them wore it home.
“The kids loved it,” said Lericos. “It was a good chance for them to get outside and get some fresh air.”
The Aroostook Kids Playgroup was formed earlier this summer as a way to supplement the seasonal nature of the popular “Mommy and Me” playgroup.
Additional information regarding Aroostook Kids can be obtained by visiting www.AroostookKids.com.
