Locals compete in Potato Blossom

    The annual Potato Blossom Festival 5-Miler road race was  held in wet conditions on July 18.     Judson Cake took the title in 25 minutes and 44 seconds. He finished ahead of Erik McCarthy (26:25), P. J. Gorneault (26:45), Evan Graves (27:26) and Spencer McElwain (27:51) for the top spot. The top females were Marie Strouse (32:21, 10th overall) and Rene Laliberty (34:58, 17th overall).
    Sixty four runners and six walkers competed. Taking first place for walkers was Bill Flannery in 1 hour, 1 minute and 35 seconds. Joe Doherty was second in 1:02.17 and Katie Russell third in 1:07.18.
    Age group winners for runners were: 14-and-under female, Jordann Coiley; 15-18 female, Kelly Kashian; 19-29 female, Susan Plissey; 30-39 female, Laliberty; 40-49 female, Angela Ewings; 50-59 female, Connie McLellan.
    Also, 14-and-under male, Trevor Levesque; 15-18 male, Logan Thibeau; 19-29 male, McCarthy; 30-39 male, Gorneault; 40-49 male and first Fort Fairfield resident, Jeff Ashby; 50-59 male, Leo Kashian; 60-69 male, Larry Tonzi; 70-and-older, Art Thompson.
    The Spud Cycle Classic bicycle race was Sunday. Forty seven cyclists participated, with Devin Higgins  of Presque Isle winning the overall title and Paul Magoon of Cornville finishing as runner-up. The fastest female was Sara Gahagan of Presque Isle, who was followed by Stephanie Caverhill of Caribou.
    Also Sunday was the Aroostook River Regatta, an event postponed from the previous day due to the weather. Of the 46 participants, Ron Bomberger of Pennsylvania was the overall winner. Corey Park of Presque Isle was the runner-up, followed by Dale Cross of Presque Isle in third. The female champion was Crystal Nason of Houlton.