They say the best time to visit the Colonial parts of the United States is in the Autumn and that may be true, but that doesn’t mean the summer months aren’t equally awesome. The #Taterteam got to spend a few days roaming around and have fallen in love with the area. The people out here are very nice and incredibly hospitable. The landscape is lush and gorgeous, while the buildings are scattered with a rich history. From Vermont through central New York State and down into Connecticut, the people and scenic landscapes were awesome.
Our first stop for the week was a quick photo op at Sardilli’s Warehouse in Hartford, CT. We then went over to the Main Street Marketplace in Torrington, CT. A quaint little town holds this event to help raise money for the local community. It is a five week event which occurs on each Thursday night. They shut down their Main Street and open it up for everything from train rides to great music and food. Each Thursday comes complete with it’s own theme and ours was Christmas in July. While I didn’t actually see Santa Claus, I did get to sit on the lap of the Big Idaho Potato. (Still waiting for that Red Rider though.) We held a few Karaoke contests for our famous T-Shirts, with one rendition of Despicito, being the overall winner. Our host, Edward Cannata, not only visited us at an earlier event up in Saratoga New York, but also went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed. He found us parking for the #It’sReal #BigIdahoPotato, as well as better accommodations than the 20 mile away hotel we had planned. He found us a five mile away little Bed and Breakfast called Mt Pleasant. The #TaterTwins and I will definitely want to stop here again, as it sits on acres and acres of scenic woodlands. The B&B itself was also built over three centuries, not including this one.
After New England we headed west for a day of celebration which included a Parade, great food, and an exciting storm. Catfish Days in Wilmington, Illinois, right next to the Kankakee River. The Parade was set right along the front of their old style store front lined Main Street. Imagine a street lined with Antique shops and reminiscent of old Route 66. The famous Route ran right through the middle of town and is still a very popular destination for travelers. Jessica and I were joined in the Parade by John Persic and his family. We love having guests ride with us on our Parades, keep that in mind if you’re ever near. The event led us also, to the Island in town called, North Island. This historic Island also boasts a Park with beautiful old trees. The weather was beautiful right up to the very last minute…exactly…which is kind of funny because exactly then, the wind picked up and a storm rolled through. Imagine the clouds overhead moving at speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour while the clouds higher up seemed to stand still. It was the perfect way to signal the end, although the threat of Tornado was a tad bit scary. No harm done there at least and everyone made it through safely.
The #Taterteam with our #It’sReal #BigIdahoPotato wanted to spend our next day off in Pittsburg, PA. This was on the way to our next event, so it was a smart choice. Pittsburg is a wonderful city full of scenic hills and the Junction of three rivers, including the Ohio. There were many tourist activities to choose from and we took advantage of all we could. This was a good place to relax and enjoy the area, but that didn’t stop the #It’sReal, #BigIdahoPotato from working. It continued to draw attention in the parking lot near our hotel. There was a high amount of traffic on the road in front of the Spud and of course, that translated into a high amount of interest. We love finding these display areas when ever we can. The #It’sReal is really just that, a ginormous rolling awesome display of the engineering abilities of Idaho.
#AndLarry
Larbear Extraordinaire
