Carbondale’s oldest annual tradition will return this Saturday, complete with a parade, potatoes in the park, and a handful of debuting games and events for all ages.
When Potato Day kicked off 112 years ago, local farmers would bring truckloads of their potatoes to the center of town in late October and share them with each other, and the celebration lasted for three days, Carbondale Historical Society’s Sue Gray said. This year, Potato Day will reflect on its historical roots and feel a bit more traditional than usual.
“We’re trying to get back to our original Potato Day celebration,” Gray said. “We’re just doing a little bit safer version this year. Last year we didn’t do the lunch at all, or the parade, so we’ve got that coming back this year and we’re hoping that next year, we’ll be able to bring back the whole thing just as it’s always been, with the communal lunch and the serving and all of that.”
In accordance with local COVID-19 guidelines, this year’s potato barbecue will take a grab-and-go form. People can come to Sopris Park and pay $10 for a paper bag, which they can fill with individually-wrapped baked potatoes, meat, coleslaw, buns and other barbecue items to take and eat. After the barbecue, the park will also be open for kids ages 6-10 to play traditional games like hot potato and take part in a potato sack race. There will also be a piñata full of penny candy from the Historical Society museum.
This year’s lunch will also include only potatoes grown right here in the Roaring Fork Valley, and the spuds will come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and colors rather than the standard baked potato usually served at the park.
“We wanted to source all of our potatoes and meat locally this year, as it has always been done in this valley [since] the beginning of Potato Day,” Gray said. “We got our russets and Yukon gold and purple potatoes from Sustainable Settings, and we got the red potatoes from Highwater Farm in Silt.”
The beloved Potato Day Parade is also returning this year, with 10 floats featuring local organizations and schools. Roaring Fork High School will have three fewer floats than usual though — parade day normally falls on the last day of Spirit Week, however due to schedule pushbacks related to COVID-19, Homecoming Week was delayed this year. But the RFHS student council was not about to miss the opportunity to participate in tradition.
“This is the best float I think our school has done yet,” student body president Payton O’Hara said. “This year we have a lot of participation in StuCo (student council). We have over 30 members this year, which I think is just increasing our participation [in the parade].”
In line with this year’s theme — Renaissance — the RFHS float will be adorned with medieval slogans and cardboard potatoes in crowns, complete with a castle. The float this year was a team effort, O’Hara said, and everyone on the student council helped plan and come up with ideas. It was more of a schoolwide effort than past years, when each class would make their own float.
Student council adviser Mary Kate Adams said she is looking forward to seeing the community come out to support student council and the Rams.
Potato Day is kept alive by a Potato Day Committee made up of representatives from Carbondale Parks and Recreation, KDNK, The Sopris Sun and the Carbondale Historical Society. Committee member Eric Brendlinger said anyone interested in continuing the Potato Day tradition is welcome to join, as the committee is currently seeking new members and sponsors. The proceeds from this year’s events will be split between the Historical Society and next year’s Potato Day. Anyone interested in more information should seek out the Historical Society’s booth at the park on Saturday.
Potato Day festivities will begin at 7:30 a.m. with registration for the Potato Day one-mile Fun Run at Fourth Street and Main Street. The race will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the route will follow Main Street to Sopris Park. The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m., starting on Second Street at the KDNK station and continuing down Main Street to Sopris Park. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with games immediately following. To close the day with a bang, Potato Day will give a nod to the local equestrian community with a kids’ gymkhana, a rodeo-esque event meant to showcase horsemanship skills. The event will take place 2-5 p.m. at the Carbondale rodeo grounds.
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October 01, 2021 at 04:00PM
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Carbondale looks back on Potato Days of old during this year’s celebration - Aspen Daily News
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