This spud's for you!
The Huble Homestead Historic Site will host its second annual Potato Festival Sunday, Sept. 6 and Monday, Sept. 7 at the heritage site from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"If potatoes are what you love, this festival is for you," said Krystal Leason, operations manager at Huble Homestead/Giscome Portage Heritage Society.
"The festival actually started as a joke during a brainstorming session," laughed Leason.
The Huble Homestead staff wanted to showcase something that grows well here in Prince George and had strawberry festivals in the past so with great crops of potato grown locally, it was the natural choice, Leason added.
"Turns out the idea kinda caught on and now it's actually a thing," said Leason. "We are just all about celebrating the spud and a lot of that has to do with crafts."
During the event children will be able to make crafts using potatoes and, of course, Mr. Potato Head will come to life in all his spudly glory. There will also be potato stamps made where children can carve an image in a cut potato and use paint to create their own unique stamp.
"We've got a potato scavenger hunt where you learn more about the site and more about potatoes," said Leason. "We'll have sack races, a game of hot potato - last year we had an adult potato peeling contest, so we have lots of things like that."
There's live entertainment and the group that came to sing last year turned all the songs into potato themes so it was quite amusing, Leason added.
"They altered a lot of the lyrics to be potato-centric," said Leason. "We've been growing potatoes all summer so there will be some available for sale and there are three heirloom varieties."
There is Cariboo Blue, which is a blue-skinned potato, Cariboo Red, which is red-skinned with pink flesh, another heirloom potato that is red with white flesh and gold rush russets.
"There's other vegetables like beets and carrots and peas available for sale as well," said Leason.
Along with all the tater-tot fun, there are guided tours and demonstrations where people can help make ice cream or watch the blacksmith do his metal work.
In the store, there is 10 per cent off all the stock, except for food and candy, because it's the last event of the summer before Huble focuses on the fall.
Leason says they haven't quite decided on what food will be served but last year's offerings were sweet potato pancakes for breakfast and along with regular hot dogs and hamburgers at the concession people could choose from a potato salad side or ham and potato soup.
"So we haven't completely decided what we'll offer this year, but rest assured it will be starchy," said Leason. "It's a fun event, it's a nice way to get out of the house before school starts, so bring the dog, and enjoy the Potato Festival."
The Huble Homestead Historic Site is located 40 kilometres north of Prince George off Highway 97 on Mitchell Road. Entrance into the homestead is by suggested donation of $10 per family.
For more information visit www.hublehomestead.ca.
