Event and Activity Descriptions

 A variety of equipment, spanning several decades, will be showcased on Friday and Saturday in front of the old Layton Potato Wash Plant, located on Highway 9 south, across from McGrath Park. Much of the equipment on display is between 80 and 100 years old.

Included in the collection is an old potato planter, walking potato plow, potato digger, and a Red River Potato Duster which was manufactured in Sabin, Minnesota in the early 1890's. 

 What festival would be complete without a treasure hunt, in this case a hunt for the Golden Potato. Once again, this year the Golden Potato will be hidden somewhere within the Barnesville city limits. Whoever retrieves the potato and brings it to the Information booth will win a prize.

 CONTEST RULES
The object is to find the hidden potato by carefully reading the clues provided at various events. Beginning bright and early at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning clues will be posted at various festival sites. All ages are encouraged to read each of the clues and determine the location of the hidden golden potato. 

 Boys and Girls, ages 5-11 are invited to take part in the Potato Car Races Friday evening. The activity will take place with all Potato Cars ready to race at 7:15 p.m., in the Friendship Park parking lot. Building of the potato cars starts at 6:30 p.m. Becoming increasingly popular every year, this is a great mix of art and sports. There is no fee to enter, and all the stuff needed to create an award winning race car is supplied. Prizes will be awarded in several different age categories. Pre-registration is not required. Come at 6:30p.m. to get your "spud"-car ready to race! 

One of several events dating back to the original Potato Days Festival is the Potato Peeling Contest. Although lots of things have changed over the decades and just about everything has become mechanized, the best way to peel a potato is still lots of elbow grease, a sharp knife or a good old fashioned potato peeler.

 CONTEST RULES
Each contestant is given three minutes to peel as many potatoes as possible. Potatoes must be peeled clean; however, eyes need not be removed. The winner will be determined by the total net weight (pounds of potatoes less pounds of peel).

Prizes will be given to the winners.

Register at the time of the event.

At 11:30 am on Saturday, two-man teams will be lined up behind the main stage downtown to be timed on how fast they can sew and stack ten, 100-pound burlap bags of potatoes. They will have to do this the old-fashioned way - using a large needle and heavy string, then piling the bags crisscross on a wooden pallet. A plaque will be awarded to 1st place teams.

The record time held is 2 minutes and 55 seconds. 

Free games and contests for kids 12 and under. There's a whole lot of fun to be had hopping, racing, throwing, kicking, and battling on the tug-o-war rope. Prizes for winners and random drawings.

It's already implied by the title, but this is a miniature parade focused on the kids. Anyone is welcome to participate, and parents can certainly accompany their little ones down the runway. Make it your own by dressing up in costumes, painting faces, wearing goofy hairstyles, etc. There are no requirements or specifications. You also have the option of using or even decorating strollers, wagons, trikes, pedal cars, and things of that nature. The Kiddie Parade route starts at the library parking lot, goes down Front Street, and ends at The Old Depot.

Shape and color your mashed potato canvas into whatever your imagination comes up with. Just be sure it is something that will impress the judges if you have your eyes on the prize. If not, that's okay too as long as you had fun making it. Channel your inner Michelangelo to create a mashterpiece.

 There's nothing like a good breakfast on Saturday morning to get you rolling for a full day of Potato Days fun! The Barnesville Knights of Columbus Potato Pancake Feed has become a tradition for many festival goers. Enjoy all-you-can-eat potato pancakes, buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, juice, coffee and milk. Serving begins at 7:00 a.m. and runs until 11:00 a.m. at the Hildebrand Hall on Front Street.

Those wearing a Potato Days commemorative pin receive $1 off their meal.

 Proceeds go to support the worthwhile projects in the area. 

Barrel rides are a long-standing tradition in Barnesville as it is a timeless source of glee from children. Have your little spud hop in a cart to pulled behind the tractor. They will ask to go again and thank you for it later.

 The Potato Scramble was originally started to help kids better understand how potatoes grow and are harvested.

The event is held in a potato field and follows the regular Potato Picking Contest. Ages 4 – 16 are given the opportunity to hunt for potatoes. In addition to taking home the potatoes they pick, there are specially marked potatoes that earn the pint size pickers a special prize.

No pre-registration required.

 Each contestant will have three chances to throw a 100-pound sack of potatoes as high as possible. New this year will be a combination age category: 14-18 and 65+ They will compete having three chances to throw a 50-pound sack of potatoes as high as possible.

Participants 18 and younger will have to sign a waiver that will be available at the Information Booth during the Festival.

There are prizes for the winners.

The French Fry Feed will be held on Front Street just south of the Main Stage.  It will be a perfect opportunity to taste firsthand some great Minnesota French fries, and at the same time, one can check out the many other delicious food stands in the adjacent Food Court.

Last year just over 1,000 servings of French fries were given out, free of charge, which amounted to over 600 pounds of potatoes!  This year, come out and enjoy some french-fried tators on Friday night!

 "Calling all Potato Lovers to the Mashed Potato Eating Contest!" Your goal, if you should choose to accept it, is to see how fast you can eat one bowl of taters. There is no entry fee and sign-up can be done right before the contest or you can pre-register. Only 10 contestants can compete in each category.

 A prize is given to the winner in each category. 

No need to register in advance. Just show up a little early to secure your spot at the table.

Little spuds will have a blast running, jumping, sliding, crawling, and climbing on these bouncy buildings made of air.

Cost information coming soon.

Eric Newell and Leah Baker are a dynamic duo of vocals and guitar offering a wide array of songs from multiple genres. They are Barnesville locals who are frequently generous enough to entertain and bring a positive vibe to venues and events around the area.

Most of you know how to play Bingo. If you don't, there will most certainly be a bevy of friendly folk at this event who are more than willing to fill you in. It's a traditional game that you can enjoy in a comfortable, small-town atmosphere.

It's easy to envision horseshoe pitching taking place at the original rendition of Potato Days in the 1930s, so perhaps there's a bit of a legacy here. If you think you have some ringers in you then don't hesitate to be a participant.

Learn how to play Horseshoes here.

If you consider yourself knowledgeable come over to the main stage for this event and demonstrate your brainpower. Kayla will be seeing who in the crowd has the answers to common questions.