Amid the summer heat in a rural Aroostook town a stone’s throw from Canada, where blossoms are poised to explode from fields, thousands of people will soon descend on Fort Fairfield to bask in northern Maine’s chief agricultural export: the potato.
They will race potatoes. Decorate potatoes. Cook potatoes. Eat potatoes. Tour potato fields. High-five a potato mascot while walking by a stack of potato barrels to watch a potato-themed parade in a region once dubbed “The Potato Empire.” Anywhere else, it would be odd. In Fort Fairfield, that’s just July.
The 79th annual Maine Potato Blossom Festival kicks off on July 11, bringing with it patrons from across the state — and the country — to celebrate the region’s rich agricultural history.
The festival is Aroostook County’s largest, both in scale and attendance. Over nine days volunteers will host more than 90 events in this town of 3,300, culminating in the festival’s famed parade on July 18.
Not all of the events are strictly potato-related. There’s an arts and craft show, basketball and softball tournaments, barbecue cook-off, a beanhole supper, adult ballet and Maine Potato Queen pageants. New this year is the aqua olympics, where teams of friends and family can compete in relay races and, well, a potato plunge.
Hours of performances from local bands and artists will soundtrack the week, including the first Whole Potato Folk Festival, a daylong music festival on July 16.
“There’s actually more music this year than at any time before,” festival director Jane Towle said. “We’ll be doing music directly after the parade at the main stage. Generally, we start that at night.”
Over its near-80-year history, the Potato Blossom Festival has ebbed and flowed. The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a major disruptor. The 73rd festival was cancelled because of it. But half a decade later, things are looking up again.
“A festival of this magnitude that’s been going on — now it’s 79 years — either is growing or it’s shrinking. It never really stays the same,” Towle said. “We’re in a build back phase, and it’s been growing for the last couple of years. [I’m] proud of that and, really give all the credit to the great volunteers who’ve just come up with marvelous ideas and put them into action.”
The festival is a massive economic driver for central Aroostook, and now more than ever, is attracting people from every part of the U.S., spurred by what Towle calls “a big push to small, medium and large rural festivals.”
“It’s a cool thing. People have embraced that,” she said. “They’re from — you name it — all four corners of the country, and they thought they’d make a trip to northern Maine just to see what this is all about.”
A full slate of activities is available at the festival website, and you can find updates on activities on the Maine Potato Blossom Festival Facebook page.
At its core, the festival is about celebrating the potato industry and the crop that has long defined the national perception of The County.
The week coincides with the blossoming potato fields, which themselves become an attraction for many. It’s also the stage for the Maine Potato Board’s annual industry dinner, and it’s a sector Towle said is often overlooked.
“Other things get in the way of what our growers do for this region, and so many industries are reliant on the growers,” she said. “It’s not just the potato itself, it’s all of the ancillary industries that rely on it. So we need to take time to recognize it. We need to take time to celebrate it.”
