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Celebrating
the spud
Young
and old take part in Potato Festival events in Merrill
By
MEGAN DOYLE
H&N
Staff Writer
 |
| Gilberth Villanueva, a third-grader at Merrill Elementary, shows his true colors as he participates in the 2007 Potato Festival Parade with fellow classmates. |
Claire
Duncan drank his coffee at the
The
food is always great and the exhibits are wonderful to see, but the
festival still gets to him.
“That’s
where I met both my wives,” he said.
He
met his first wife, who died of cancer, during the festival after he
returned from military service during World War II.
His
second wife attended this year’s event with him.
“I
think it’s wonderful. It’s a community that works together,” said
Eleanor Duncan.
The
Merrill Presbyterian Church sold potatoes, hot coffee and hot chocolate.
Several vendors and exhibitors filled the indoor areas, local groups
marched in the parade and the Merrill Lions’ Club had a long line of
people waiting for free lunch on Saturday.
The
number of people at the festival was down this year compared to the
1970s and 80s, Claire Duncan said. There used to be 3,000 people who
would get a free barbecue lunch during the festival. This year, the
crowd was about a third of the size.
The meal, which the club accepts donations for, was
the highlight for many people.
“It’s really good meat,” he said. The meat is
barbecued in a pit starting Friday night in preparation for the Saturday
lunch.
“It comes out and falls right off the bone,”
Claire Duncan said.
Kim Canfield has been coming to the “Spud
Festival” for more than 30 years, she said. When she was growing up,
she would help wrap the potatoes that were baked for the Lions’ Club
lunch.
Standing in the cold for the festival was worth it,
she said. Her schedule for the day included watching the parade,
standing in line for lunch and then visiting the indoor exhibits.
Bundled up
Many people went indoors once the parade was over.
Traces of snow vanished as the day went on, but everyone remained
bundled up in layers of clothes or went inside to see the carved
pumpkins, prize winning potatoes and children’s potato creations, or
for a hot cup of soup.
The Merrill Presbyterian Church sold about 200 baked
potatoes and about 10 gallons of soup throughout the festival, said
Billie Shaw. She has been helping with the church food booth for nine
years, she said.
She likes the festival because it’s a great chance
to see people she sees only once a year.
Traci Jensen went to the parade because she got credit
from her Intercultural Communications class at the Oregon Institute of
Technology.
“And I came for the food, too,” she said.
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