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Carbondale to celebrate 111th Potato Day

'Spuds and Suffragists — Women Voting Proudly for 100 Years' will honor the centennial celebration of the passage of the 19th Amendment

A group of men unearth the slow-cooked pit barbecue meat and potatoes at the 110th annual Carbondale Potato Day festival last year in Sopris Park.
Post Independent file

Carbondale’s annual Potato Day on Oct. 3 may look different this year, but the 111th version of the festival will still include many of its most popular events.

This year’s theme: “Spuds and Suffragists — Women Voting Proudly for 100 Years” honors the centennial celebration of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave American women the right to vote.

An audio production by the Carbondale Historical Society called, “Historic Women of Carbondale” will feature the life stories of some of Carbondale’s most influential women from past to present. The stories can be accessed in their entirety at http://www.carbondalehistory.org, or you may listen to excerpts on KDNK’s Express Yourself at 4 p.m. today and on Oct. 2.



Potato Day will also feature an in-person Farmer’s Market on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the large grassy lot at the corner of Fifth and Main streets. The market will include:

• Produce and cottage food vendors including Wild Mt. Seeds, Shepard’s Bread, Erin’s Acres, Highwater Farm, Growing Tall LLC, Juno Farms, Sopris Farms, ACES Rock Bottom Ranch, and Ed Colby Honey;



• Potato giveaways provided by the Potato Day Committee. Register for the early time slots to get your hands on locally produced potato chips donated by Homestead Restaurant, or choose a sack of potatoes grown by Sustainable Settings;

• A KDNK CD and record sale booth;

• A Carbondale Historical Society booth where you can brush up on your Carbondale and Potato Day History and the significance of the passage of the 19th Amendment 100 years ago;

• A nonpartisan voter registration information booth;

Pre-registration is required, and patrons will be allowed to enter into the market area in groups of 50 every 30 minutes starting at 10 a.m. You may pre-register at https://carbondalerec.activityreg.com/selectactivity_t2.wcs or call 970-510-1290.

Masks will be required in the market area and the rules of social distancing apply.

A Potato Decorating contest, in which people may submit a photo of a decorated spud, is currently happening and runs through Oct. 1. The prize categories include:

•  Best Historical Female Figure;

•  Best Hollywood Actress;

•  Most Representative of Carbondale, Colorado;

• Most Creative;

•  Kids category for 12 and younger potato artists.

Submit your decorated or carved potato photos to the Carbondale Annual Potato Day Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarbondaleAnnualPotatoDay or on the Potato Day Instagram at #CarbondalePotatoDay2020.

A Video Dance contest to the David Bowie song, “Suffragette City” is also currently happening with entries accepted until Oct. 1.

Contestants are asked to produce a home video of them dancing to Bowie’s classic tune, with bonus points awarded to those who incorporate a potato into their dance. Submit your video to the Carbondale Annual Potato Day Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarbondaleAnnualPotatoDay or on the Potato Day Instagram at #CarbondalePotatoDay2020.

The Golden Potato Harvest Hunt is an event for kids 12 and younger from the same household group that will be held on Saturday. Oct. 3, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Farmer’s Market on the corner of Fifth and Main streets. 

The historical harvest hunt is a race to gather all of the pieces and parts of Mrs. Potato Head, with the winner being presented the fabled Golden Potato Trophy. The hunt is limited to 10 household groups and pre-registration is required at https://carbondalerec.activityreg.com/selectactivity_t2.wcs  

Contestants will be given clues that will lead them to each of Mrs. Potato Head’s six body parts, where they will also be given the next clue. The first team to return their completed Mrs. Potato Head will have their names engraved on the Potato Day Trophy and receive a Carbondale Chamber Gift Certificate for $50.

For more information, or to volunteer, contact either the Carbondale Historical Society at info@carbondalehistory.org or 970-414-1078, or the Carbondale Recreation and Community Center at http://www.carbondalerec.com or 970-510-1290.

jbear@postindependent.com


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