Tater Day

The First Monday in April finds Benton Kentucky busy with traffic, lines of vendors selling all sorts of goodies, and many enjoying the age old community tradition of tater day. Tater day is perfect for the entire family, its like the unofficial start of spring. After being around for nearly 2 centuries Tater Day continues to be well attended.

The festival was started in 1843 to celebrate spring. It was a time for townsfolk would get together and trade in sweet potato slip, used to grow the plants. It started out as a trade day and continues. The day will host carnival rides, games, a market, a potato eating contest, mule pulls and a "biggest potato" contest and a large parade.

There are several ways to make enjoy potatoes. These dishes include:

1. Baked

2. Boiled

3. Steamed

4. Roasted

5. Mashed

6. Fried

7. Grilled

8. Scalloped

9. French Fries

10. Cottage Fries

11. Hash Browns

12. In Stew

13. In Soup

14. Potato Salad

15. Potato Dumplings

16. Potato Pancakes

17. Potato Croquettes

Sweet potatoes in Kentucky is a main cash crop. Thus the reason for starting Tater Day. The trading and selling of sweet potatoes helps make this special day the oldest continuous trade day in the U.S. 

There are over 100 varieties of potatoes in the United States but world wide there are more than 4 thousand varieties. 

Before this post was you aware of the Kentucky tater day?? What is your favorite potato recipe.