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Listing Details
PREVIOUSBarnesville Main Street Program
202 Front Street N
PO Box 550
Barnesville, MN 56514
Visit website
Phone: 218-354-2479
Fax: 218-354-7600
mainstreet@bvillemn.net
Type: Tourism Information Sources
The Main Street Program along with other groups sponsor fun events year round in Barnesville. Events include SHOWCASE Tradeshow in March, Areawide Rummage Sales in April and September, Miss Barnesville Pagent, Yard & Garden Tour in July, Community Picnic in July,Potato Days Festival in August, Miracle on Front Street Holiday Lighted Parade, Breakfast with Santa and Holiday Tour of Homes in December. The Clay County Fair is also in Barnesville in July. Each year, 12,000+ tater lovers from across the country descend on this town of 2200, to experience "bushels" of free fun for the entire family!
What continues to attract and intrigue festival goers year after year is the wide variety of truly "potato" activities. Among the festival's not-to-be-missed activities are Mashed Potato Wrestling, Mr. Potato Head Competition, National Lefse Cookoff, Potato Picking and Peeling Contests, Potato Sack Fashion Show, Mashed Potato Sculpture Contest, Miss Tater Tot and even potato golf and billiards! Other events include a huge Parade on Saturday evening, 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, Historic Wagon Tours, Antique Equipment Display and Potato Wash Plant Tour.
From it's beginnings in 1938, Barnesville celebrated the potato because of the large number of area potato growers, and an equally large number of great potato "cooks". This year's festival menu includes such favorites as potato dumplings, lefse, potato soup, potato pancakes, german potato salad, potato sausage wrapped in lefse, twice baked potatoes, fresh cut french fries, new potatoes in butter sauce; plus the more traditional festival fare.
Dates for the 2001 festival are Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25. Located at the southern end of the Red River Valley, Barnesville is 23 miles east of Fargo-Moorhead, or 210 miles northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
You're invited to join the fun. . . pick 'em, peel 'em, toss 'em, fry 'em, race 'em, eat 'em; but most of all enjoy all those potatoes in Barnesville at Potato Days on August 24 and 25.