FORT FAIRFIELD – Fort Fairfield will be a hotbed of sporting activity during the Maine Potato Blossom Festival. Softball, swimming, basketball, golf, running and more will be taking place during the festival, which kicks off later this month.
JASON WOODWORTH attempts a putt, while Justin Woodworth watches during last year’s Potato Blossom Festival Scramble.
According to Tom Towle, Fort Fairfield Parks and Recreation Director, athletics and physical activity have always been part of the Maine Potato Blossom Festival. Towle says the intention is to give the active individual a chance to participate.
“We like to think we have something for everyone,” he said.
The first sporting event of the festival is the girls softball tournament on Tuesday, July 12. It is for junior girls age 9- to 12-years-old and senior girls age 13- to 16-years-old. First pitch is at 8:30 a.m. The softball tournament will extend to Wednesday, if necessary. Towle says this has always been a popular event with as many as ten or eleven teams participating.
Adults and high schoolers, age 16 and older, can get in the action in the 3 on 3 basketball tournament on July 12. That will be held at the Fort Fairfield Community Center and interested teams can sign up the night of the event at 5:45 p.m. Registration is $40 dollars per team.
On Wednesday, July 13 the Potato Blossom Festival Swim Meet is at the municipal swimming pool at 9 a.m. The event is for those 18 and younger. Recreation department swim teams from around the region participate.
Saturday, July 16 walkers and runners gather for the Potato Blossom 5 Miler Road Race, one of the longest continually held road races in Aroostook County. Walkers will start at 8:30 a.m. and runners at 9 a.m. from across the Hillside IGA. The entrance fee is $15 dollars and the first 50 people to sign up get a T-shirt. Also on that Saturday golfers will be scrambling at the Aroostook Valley Country Club. Registration is $120 per team and can be made by calling the golf course at 1-800-980-8747 or 476-8083. Saturday also sees some action on the Aroostook River. The Regatta on the Aroostook takes place at 5 p.m. Kayakers and canoeists will paddle a roughly 6.5 mile course. Registration is at Forbes Landing from 3 to 4:45 p.m. at a cost $10 dollars per person,
The Spud Cycle Classic Bicycle Race is on Sunday, July 17. The 25 and 12 mile races state at 10 am, youth races begin at 11:30 a.m. Registration is at 8 a.m. at the Fort Fairfield Community Center. The cost is $15 dollars per rider, $2 dollars per youth.
Spanning two days, Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17, is the Maine Potato Blossom Festival Triathlon. The triathlon combines a participants’ canoe/kayak time from the Regatta on the Aroostook, running time from the Potato Blossom 5 Miler, and the time from the Spud Cycle Classic Bicycle Race.
For more information on any of the events contact the Fort Fairfield Recreation Department at 472-3882.
