Celebrate the state’s pride and joy in Shelley this weekend 

SHELLEY — Lights, camera, action! It’s clip to observe nan state’s pridefulness and joyousness this play successful Shelley: nan potato.  

“Hollywood Stars” is nan taxable of nan 96th twelvemonth of Spud Days. 

The longstanding contented will beryllium held connected Saturday, Sept. 21, pinch galore events astatine Shelley City Park. It’s free to attend. Click present for much information. 

There’s a Spud Day parade, spud picking contest, spud tug, murphy sack races, French fry eating contest, and more.

There are moreover free baked potatoes that will beryllium fixed retired astatine noon until they are each gone.  

“Butter, sour cream, cheese, and brackish and pepper. Those are existent popular!” said Spud Day co-chair Bryan Jolley. 

Other activities are passim nan week starring up to nan main arena day. Check nan almanac below. 

Jolley told EastIdahoNews.com that 1 of his favourite things astir nan time is watching everyone travel together and observe nan cultivation community. 

“And nan truth that we raise these potatoes complete present successful eastbound Idaho. They are unparalleled anyplace successful nan world, and I deliberation it conscionable puts america connected nan map,” Jolley said. 

He added galore group travel to sojourn from retired of municipality and recreation from each complete nan state conscionable to beryllium a portion of it. 

“It’s gotten nationalist recognition. We person been successful a batch of recreation magazines,” he said. 

And if you didn’t get capable adjacent nutrient astatine nan Eastern Idaho State Fair, Jolley said location is simply a assortment of nutrient to take from pinch nan vendors that will beryllium successful attendance. 

It’s estimated that anyplace betwixt 10 to 15 1000 group attend. People don’t want to miss an acquisition and a celebration. 

“The potato… arsenic lowly a rootlike it is, has helped group past famines, droughts, and everything other and kept them live successful bad times. We observe it because of what it does for our economy,” Jolley said.

According to nan Spud Day website, “the state’s murphy manufacture generates complete $1 cardinal annually, supporting thousands of jobs from farming to processing and distribution. Idaho’s murphy growers cultivate astir 300,000 acres of potatoes each year.”

Jolley said it is 1 of nan astir versatile vegetables successful nan world erstwhile you tin deliberation of each nan ways you tin hole it. 

“I emotion them fried, boiled, mashed, you sanction it! I for illustration it. But astir apt French fires are my favorite, and adjacent 2nd is tater tots and past baked murphy for me,” Jolley laughed. 

According to Jolley, nan first Spud Day arena was held successful 1927. Only 1 twelvemonth was skipped during WWII. 

An aged image of Spud Day. | Courtesy Idaho Annual Spud Days