Massive tuber trucking into PF
Courtesy of the Big Idaho Potato Tour The "Tater Team" poses outside of the Big Idaho Potato Truck, which will be at the Post Falls Super 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. On the truck will be a 6-ton replica of an Idaho potato, which is 28 feet long and 12 feet wide.
Courtesy of the Big Idaho Potato Tour This Big Idaho Potato Tour campaign image shows the 6-ton Idaho potato replica that will be at Super 1 Foods in Post Falls from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. The Big Idaho Potato Truck and its team will be donating $1 to the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo for every signature collected while at Super 1.
POST FALLS — Donating funds to a good cause is no matter of small potatoes.
Sometimes it requires large potatoes, or one colossal potato that weighs 6 tons.
North Idahoans, rejoice, because that big potato is headed your way.
The Big Idaho Potato Truck will be at Super 1 Foods in Post Falls from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. On the truck will be a giant replica of the Gem State's beloved starchy mascot.
"It's awesome looking. It looks real," said Sue Kennedy, public relations director for the Big Idaho Potato Tour. "Wait 'till you see it. It's more impressive in real life than you can imagine."
The Big Idaho Potato Truck is on its fifth journey across the United States, doing good and helping communities along the way through its "A Big Helping" mission. The "Big Helping" efforts help raise awareness, funds, food or all three for local nonprofits in cities where the truck stops.
"You have no idea how many requests we have," Kennedy said. "If we can make it work, we'll be there."
During its stop in North Idaho, the truck and its "Tater Team" will be encouraging visitors to sign the truck's signature board. For every signature collected, the team will donate $1 (up to $500) to the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo Foundation, which raises funds for the Kootenai County Fairgrounds as well as educational opportunities for area youths.
The Big Idaho Potato Truck began in 2012 to celebrate the Idaho Potato Commission's 75th anniversary. The giant Idaho potato replica is made of steel and concrete and was made by a talented team in Idaho, Kennedy said.
An actual potato that large would take more than 10,000 years to grow, almost three years to bake and would make 30,325 servings of mashed potatoes.
"People go out of their way to see the truck," Kennedy said. "There's just something all-American about it."
Super 1 Foods in Post Falls is located at 805 E. Polston Ave.