Houlton’s Potato Feast Days celebrates 50 years

Think back 50 years to the first Potato Feast Day’s Celebration. Were you downtown when one thousand dollar “snowflakes” were dropped over market square by a low flying airplane? The “snowflakes” were really ping pong balls with gift certificates inside. The gift certificates were redeemable at local retail stores in celebration of Potato Feast Days. Sidewalk sales filled the streets, all manner of kid’s games were played and a potato feast was held at Community Park.
Now, let’s jump to the present day. On Aug. 21-23rd, the 50th anniversary of Potato Feast Days will be celebrated. While farming has changed over the past 50 years, the importance and impact of our farming community has not. Every spring, whether you are a farmer or not, it’s important to know if the crops have been put in early or late. We anxiously wait for the potato blossoms to fill the fields (and they are always beautiful) while we show our many tourists what makes Aroostook County so unique.
Potato harvest has memories for all of us. Listening to the radio for picking times, rain delays (and who didn’t look forward to those once in awhile) and frost delays. There is an ownership with potato harvest and the responsibility to help the farmers. It’s a way of life that helped to create the strong work ethic for which we County folk are known.
This year the town will be bustling once again with sidewalk sales, the annual Arts and Crafts Fair in Monument Park, the incredible Friends and Needles Quilt Show at the Houlton Lodge of Elks, the annual Doll and Wagon Wrangler Parade on Friday evening (please come and watch the sweetest parade ever, it will be worth your time).
There will be kids’ games that will include coin scrambles, sack races, Mr. Potato Head Contest and more games to be announced. For adults, we have the Potato Peeling Contest (and it got very competitive last year), Potato Salad Contest, and we are working on a Potato Row Extravaganza, where anyone who has a favorite Potato Recipe will have an opportunity to have it judged among all of the other fabulous recipes for a grand prize.
A Sunday Road Rally is planned this year that will challenge all of the participants. Sunday will also be the final day to visit the Quilt Show. If you have not seen the show before, it is an experience that you won’t forget. Each quilt is unique to the creator who designed it, making each one-of-a-kind.
So, what can you do to help us celebrate this important anniversary? Be a part of the fun and activities, shop the local sales and thank the farmers for their bountiful harvests that they provide for us every year.
Call the Chamber of Commerce with any questions or ideas that you have at 532-4216.