Big Lake’s four-day Spud Fest celebration went off without a hitch last week, and local families as well as urban guests were able to soak in the early summer entertainment of food and fun! 

And Mother Nature — who earlier in the week put a spell on weather-watchers — parted the clouds and unleashed another weekend of nearly perfect weather.

Thursday kicked off the festival with a kids bike rodeo and parade. A pickleball tournament was held in the tennis courts for four hours and the local scouts held a Spud Car Derby. ECFE held a potato-themed art fair and the carnival officially opened their doors at 6 p.m.

The following day, the rides and carnival games kicked off day two at 1 p.m. while Bingo commenced under one of the large tents to the west of the kiddie games and rides. The Party Wagon provided entertainment all weekend and one of the most popular destinations for the adult fair-goers was the beer tent where several taps were drained throughout the festival days.

Also on Friday, the Big Lake Police faced off against the Big Lake Fire department in a Guns ‘N Hoses softball game to launch the softball tournament. Good For Gary was the live band from 8 p.m. to midnight and the evening closed out with a night filled with fireworks.

Saturday was the day everyone assumed would be spoiled by heavy rain and thunderstorms. Some weather stations were saying Big Lake was faced with a 70% chance of rain at noon. As the morning progressed, the time got pushed out to 3 p.m., then 5 p.m. By the time the sun started setting, lightning could be seen across the black skies but little or no rain dropped on the carnival area.

Because of the rain forecast faltering, the softball tournament continued as well as the Lakes Run 5K and the Spud Run motorcycle ride. The anticipated parade was set in motion at 11 a.m. as well as the Marketplace district. The carnival opened at noon and the Big Lake Ambassadors held their coronation at 2:30 p.m. The day closed out with live music by The Villains and Brooke Lynn.

Sunday, fair-goers woke up to wet sidewalks and streets but it didn’t damper the final day of Spud Fest for 2023. A car and truck show was held in the morning and the softball tournament closed out their  competition by late afternoon. Live music was provided by Ron Moshier and a potato soup contest was held right around lunchtime. Bingo continued for a couple hours and the fair closed up at around 4 p.m.

Spud Fest 2023...not much can top this tater event!