The First-Ever Tater Tot Festival Celebrates The Terrific Tuber And Its Oregon Roots

In Oregon, tater tots are our potato preference. These petite, poppable puffs of potato perfection were in fact invented in Oregon in the 1950s, and there is a lot of state pride surrounding this feat! So much pride that for the first time ever, there will be an entire festival honoring the tater tot. Mark your calendars: the inaugural Tater Tot Festival is happening in Ontario, Oregon on Sept. 17-18, 2021 and it's really a must for anyone who's hot for tots.

Tater tots are an utterly delightful culinary creation -- and here in Oregon, we have a lot of love for this terrific tuber.

The humble tater tot was invented in Oregon as a bit of a fluke when Ore-Ida founders Nephi and Golden Griggs were looking for a way to use up leftover, irregularly cut potatoes from their french fry factory in Ontario.

The result, a bite-sized potato puff dubbed the "tater tot," was an instant success.

Ontario, Oregon, takes a ton of pride in this claim to fame, and is pulling out all the stops for this year's epic Tater Tot Festival on Sept. 17-18.

The two-day festival is sponsored by Revitalize Ontario, and will feature more than 100 vendors, all showcasing this snack-able spud.

The festival will also feature classic carnival games and rides, including a Ferris wheel.

There will also be some unique culinary creations at the Tater Tot Festival that really challenge the definition of the ubiquitous 'tot.

Loaded nacho-style tots? You bet.

There will also be a tot eating contest for those tater gourmands looking for bragging rights!

Tater tot purists, however, will be pleased to know that the festival will have tons of unadorned, straight-up tots at this event, too.

Because there's really nothing that compares to the classic tater-tot-and-ketchup combo.

How do you prefer your potatoes? Straight-up, in french-fry form, or tot-style? Whatever your fancy, the Tater Tot Festival will undoubtedly be a lot of fun! Stay up-to-date on the latest updates for this year's festival on the event's Facebook page.

Tater tots aren't Oregon's only notable culinary contribution; the marionberry was invented here, too!