Maine Potato Blossom Festival
by Tim Goff
I have always enjoyed one of the best seats in the house for the Maine Potato Blossom Festival . I ’ m not sure the realtor mentioned it to my parents , but the home they bought when we moved to Fort Fairfield just happens to sit right on the parade route . I didn ’ t get to take advantage of that fact much as a child , as it was a rare occasion I wasn ’ t marching in it – be it as part of a brass corps of a school marching band or as a proud Little Leaguer – but it was a decent consolation to have my own cheering section embedded among the masses !
After I graduated and moved away to attend college , I finally was welcome to join the adults lounging on the lawn . While it might be the only time I ’ d see some of these folks all year , it was great to connect and catchup . Through an unspoken pact , we also all worked together as a team . Each of us were responsible to keep an eye on the cluster of kids who carefully staked out their spot with a bag ready to hold their collection of candy .
Even though I didn ’ t have kids of my own , it was fun watching the youngest members of our group shake uncontrollably with excitement when a mammoth tractor or pack of clumsy clowns paid us a brief visit . Memories of my days spent battling my brothers for melted Tootsie Rolls and cracked lollipops at other parades washed over me like a flood . I was exhausted just watching the kids shuttling up and down the driveway depositing trinkets and stickers in their mother ’ s laps before sprinting back to their strategically placed seats ready to pounce on the next handful of candy tossed their way on the hot pavement .
After the birth of my daughter , the Festival became a chance to visit with grammie and grampie and watch as my child discovered the Festival for herself . The first year was kind of boring , but she was only a month old , and no number of fire truck sirens or marching bands were going to interrupt naptime ! But soon enough she joined the kids scrambling for candy , fighting for her own share . She still isn ’ t quite sure why there is a parade , but she knows it is something to look forward to . I ’ m anxious to hear what impresses her the most this year , and to have her tell me about her day spent running wild in a sugar-fueled frenzy !
Even as a kid , I always appreciated the incredible sense of pride townspeople have hosting the Maine Potato Blossom Festival . With so many events and activities , it brought bustle to our border town . It was like having the fair come to our house ! I wonder if that is how my now four-year-old daughter views the Festival ? My appreciation continues to build to this day , as I am now in my second year as the Director of this summertime tradition .
Much like I think I could quarterback the Patriots with ease from the comfort of my couch , taking the reins of the Maine Potato Blossom Festival seemed simple enough when I was offered the job - I mean , it ’ s been part of the fabric that makes Aroostook The County for nearly seventy years ! What I quickly learned is while you can appreciate the enormity of an event like this , the challenges and joys associated with being entrusted with control of a community institution come with a cost , mostly an intense , selfadministered pressure to not mess it up !
SUMMER 2016 27