Potatoes may have put Manhattan on the map, but 40 years of local heritage took center stage on Saturday at the town\u2019s annual Potato Festival.<\/p>\n
The festival began as a way to celebrate the local farmers who helped turn Manhattan, along with the nearby Amsterdam and Churchill areas, into Montana’s potato capital. On Saturday, that legacy took the shape of a classic small-town block party, with hundreds of people crowding a closed-off Main Street and milling through Railroad Park to visit rows of local artisans, community groups, and food stands.<\/p>\n
The festival\u2019s two primary organizers, Lori Myers and Vickie Johnson, took over planning six years ago when the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce decided to give it up in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe picked it up because we knew the community loved having it,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Families and longtime residents lined Main Street on Saturday for the Manhattan Potato Festival parade, one of the biggest annual draws for the small Gallatin Valley town.<\/p>\n
Jupiter Floros\/Chronicle<\/p>\n
Keeping that tradition alive is a year-round commitment. Myers alone logged roughly 750 hours preparing for this year\u2019s day-long event, and she was quick to point out she\u2019s far from the only volunteer putting in the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe start planning again in September,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n
To honor the milestone anniversary, Myers and Johnson gathered 40 photos, one from each year of the festival, and crafted them into two commemorative quilts for a raffle. They originally planned to fit all 40 photos onto a single quilt, Myers said, but during the design process, they realized they would either have to cut down the photo count or make two.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so beautiful, and that project was really special,\u201d Myers said. \u201cThe downside was separating the quilts. The positive side was two people get to enjoy them.\u201d<\/p>\n
As it turned out, the feeling was mutual for Hotdoggers Lauren Trippeer and Aiden Jaffe, who are currently driving the 27-foot-long\u00a0Oscar Mayer Wienermobile across the country on a year-long stint.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to say, Manhattan has been a highlight,\u201d Trippeer said. \u201cThis was, as a team, our first parade, so it was a huge deal. I was not expecting the number of people to be here, it was such a huge crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n