22 Potato Celebration Photos From 1940 That Will Make You Miss The Old Days

When people from away think of Maine, they often imagine lighthouses and coast. While it’s true that our maritime history is one of the most engaging in the nation, let’s take a moment to give some praise to an often overlooked section of the state: Aroostook County. And, more specifically, the Maine potato.

The boom of our potato production was in the 1940s when we were the top producer in the country. While Maine fell to the eighth ranked potato producer by 1994, potatoes played a vital role in the economic prosperity of the region up to that point. The rural land was dotted with large farms and fertile land, which can still be seen today.

To celebrate the contributions that the potato has made on our state and its economic prosperity, we hold some great annual festivals. The most notable is The Maine Potato Blossom Festival, which coincides with the arrival of the first blossoms on the season’s potato crop.

But, long before this celebration of blossoms was The First International Potato Barrel Rolling Contest in Presque Isle. We’ve compiled 22 photos taken from this event in 1940 and they’ll surely make you miss the old days!