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Thousands celebrate the Idaho potato in Shelley

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

SHELLEY – Thousands of people descended on the small town of Shelley in Eastern Idaho Sept. 15 to celebrate Idaho’s most famous crop.

Shelley’s annual “Idaho Spud Day” celebration attracts about 15,000 people each year with one goal in mind: to honor the Russet potato, the state’s most famous product.

Idaho is the national leader in potato production and a good chunk of the 13 billion pounds of spuds produced each year by Idaho farmers are grown in the Shelley area.

“The Russet potato is what Shelley and Idaho are known for,” said event co-organizer Chris Sheetz.

Idaho Potato Commission President and CEO Frank Muir said the commission is a big supporter of the event and the IPC’s big Idaho potato truck has made several appearances there, as has Spuddy Buddy, the potato commission’s mascot.

The day-long celebration includes several potato-themed activities such as potato sack races and a timed potato picking contest where participants try to put as many potatoes in a burlap sack as possible.

“It’s a fun way to remind people of the heritage of Idaho potatoes and what they mean to the state, particularly East Idaho,” Muir said. “We’re a very big supporter of this effort.”

Shelley (population 4,400) is located in the heart of Idaho potato country and the nickname of the city’s high school sports teams is the “Russets” and the junior high school’s sports teams are known as the “Spudniks.”

The Spud Day celebration, which is sponsored by the city and local Kiwanis club, is a way for local residents to salute the Russet potato, which underpins the local economy, Sheetz said.

The event also attracts a lot of former Shelley area residents who obviously have fond memories and feelings for the state’s most famous crop, said Idaho Farm Bureau Federation President Bryan Searle, a Shelley potato farmer.

“It shows the Russet is still deep in their blood and it’s kind of awesome to see that,” he said.

The celebration includes a parade with dozens of entrants and a plethora of activities, many centered around the potato, including potato chip eating and spud picking contests and a tug-of-war event that results in the losing team being pulled into a giant pit of mashed potatoes.

The annual celebration began in 1927 and over the years, it has attracted national attention.

“Good Morning America” covered the event in 1990 and the 1991 Spud Day was covered in National Geographic Travel Magazine, New York Times and Better Homes and Gardens.

In 1993, ESPN showed live footage of the tug-of-war contest.

During a spud peeling contest in 1991, participants peeled 694.6 pounds of potatoes in 45 minutes, which bested the world record and earned them a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.