Great potato fun without the sour cream and chives
- posted: 26 June 2007
- scrollnews@byui.edu
From ancient Athens to modern-day America, human beings have been racing each other to the finish line. Whether it’s cars, animals or our own two legs that propel us, society is obsessed with competition.
But here in Rexburg, involved citizens have taken racing to a new level.
The third annual Great Spud Race was held last Saturday, June 23, at noon. The race, a project of the Trails of Madison County, was between plastic potatoes purchased by interested community members over the preceding weeks. More than 200 life-size plastic potatoes floated to the finish line just before the Rexburg Canal bridge.
The race was originally supposed to begin in the Teton River, directly behind Jack-in-the-Box. However, after several failed attempts, the committee members decided the river was too shallow and rocky for a successful race, and the event was moved down the street to the much deeper Rexburg Canal.
“We knew [relocation] might be a possibility,” said J. D. Hancock, chairman of the Great Spud Race. “There hasn’t been enough rain this summer, and this area has been declared [to be] in a state of drought.”
The Great Spud Race is put together every year as a fundraiser for the Trails of Madison County, a committee created by the City of Rexburg, Sugar City, and Madison County about eight years ago. The committee is working to create a network of trails in Rexburg, as well as a trail between Rexburg and Sugar City. Interested citizens had the chance to buy one or more plastic potatoes at $5 each to enter into the race.
The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation will also donate anywhere from $20-$50 for each potato purchased.
According to Joseph West, vice chairman of the Trails of Madison County, the money raised in the Spud Race will help finish a trail around the Teton River beside Second East, as well as contributing to a new trail across the street (behind CAL Ranch).
According to the committee’s Web site, www.trailsofmadison.org, their goals are to provide beautification, places for recreation, safety from flood hazards and alternate routes for transportation.
Though not everyone who purchased a potato came to the event, dozens of interested community members came to watch the potatoes swim the canal.
“I saw a sign [in town], and it intrigued me, so I went to the bank and asked if they were still selling potatoes,” said Mandy Clifford, a Rexburg resident. Clifford and her husband, A. J., held a sign reading,“We Love You #201!” by the finish line to show support for their spud.
Many families sponsored more than one potato. Both Tisha Flora and Tara Bingham bought six potatoes.
“We had to have one for each kid,” said Bingham. Bingham’s husband volunteered for the Spud Race.
Prizes were awarded to the first 10 potatoes to cross the finish line. “Lots of local businesses have donated [prizes] to the event,” said Blake Grover, a Trails of Madison County volunteer. The prizes included a used car, a BMX mountain bike, and a year’s worth of car washes.
However, every family who participated was rewarded with a 50-pound box of
real potatoes. 
