Six tons of tater are headed for North Branford aboard the Big Idaho Potato Truck, which makes a pit stop outside NB Auditorium Friday, April 29 for a special event to help celebrate 2016 as the 15th anniversary of the town’s Potato and Corn Festival (POCO). (Photo from www.bigidahopotato.com )
Big Idaho Potato Rolls into NB April 29
POCO fans, mark your calendar and grab a selfie stick. A six-ton tater, hauled by the Big Idaho Potato truck, will make a pit stop at North Branford High School (NBHS) Friday April 29, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The gigantic spud stops in North Branford at the invitation of organizers of the 2016 Potato and Corn (POCO) Festival. The visit helps mark POCO’s 15th anniversary during the first weekend in August.
POCO Festival Coordinator Rosanne Krajewski told Zip06 today that POCO was able to secure the super-sized spud stop as part of a 60-city, five month goodwill national tour sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC). The specially-built, shiny red tractor-trailer is 72 feet long and it’s 12,130- pound potato cargo tops out at 13 feet high.
Between 4,000 to 5,000 baked potatoes are served up by hard-working North Branford volunteers during POCO each year. But that’s just small potatoes when compared to the Big Idaho Potato’s estimated volume, which is equal 32,346 medium-sized Idaho potatoes, according to IPC estimates.
Krajewski said residents are invited to come out to see the Big Idaho Potato truck – and the Big Idaho Potato – during a special event outside the North Branford auditorium (NBHS) on April 29, when Town Manager Michael Paulhus proclaims North Branford the “…unofficial Potato and Corn Capital of Connecticut.” The proclamation will be followed by popcorn and potato chip giveaways and plenty of opportunities for the public to grab photos with the world’s largest potato on wheels.
If your visit with the Big Idaho Potato truck makes you hungry for a great baked potato; you’re in luck – immediately following the April 29 visit, the public is welcome to join a Baked Potato Luncheon at Stanley T. Williams Community Center in Northford. Pre-registration (required) can be completed by contacting the Recreation Department at (203) 484-6017.
