North Carolina Potato Festival Brings Out All the Stops for the Spud
One potato, two? What about 10?
The 10th-annual North Carolina Potato Festival will take root May 15, 2010, in downtown Elizabeth City. The event has been on Elizabeth City’s calendar since 2001, but the statewide potato celebration dates back to 1963.
That is when Fanny Leary of Camden peeled 8 pounds, 4 ounces of potatoes in 10 minutes at the National Potato Peeling Contest. The potato-peeling contest still occurs annually in Elizabeth City as part of the statewide celebration.
The Saturday festival features a wide variety of activities, but the food truly stands out. Unlimited french fries are available to the public in addition to funnel cakes, snow cones, hot dogs, gyros, fajitas, cookies, orangeades, lemonade and smoothies.
The festival kicks off Friday night with food, a wine bar and live music. The main Saturday event takes place from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Besides food, there is a Little Miss Tater Tot Contest, free amusement rides, potato sack races, a beer garden and a street dance. Past musical entertainers have included Mark Roberts & Breeze, Satellites and Sirens, Ehringhaus, Amber Braddy Jones, Step of Faith, Further Adieu, and Bobby Plough and Friends.
Some people might not think of North Carolina as a potato grower, but the North Carolina Potato Association is the oldest commodity association in the state, starting in 1928. Elizabeth City is the home office of the North Carolina Potato Association.
Nutritionally, one serving of potatoes provides almost 50 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C, and the potato is the second-most consumed food in the United States – trailing only milk products.
Story by Kevin Litwin
