Board’s Big E income no small potatoes

By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
    PRESQUE ISLE – Visitors of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Mass. know a good thing when they see it … or taste it.
    According to Donald Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato Board, 79,847 baked Maine potatoes were sold during the 17-day fair, also known as The Big E. Though that’s a substantial amount of spuds, it’s actually 4,453 fewer potatoes than were sold last year.
    “This year was a very interesting year,” Flannery told directors at the Oct. 22 Maine Potato Board meeting. “There were three of the worst days I’ve ever seen … there really shouldn’t have been anybody there it was raining so bad.
    “I think the economy entered into the equation, too,” he said.
    Despite attendance being down overall, nearly 8 percent of those who visited The Big E consumed 80,000 pounds or three acres of Maine potatoes, which translates to more than 40 tons.
    “To say Maine potatoes were a ‘smashing success’ would be an understatement,” Flannery said. “Year after year, The Big E proves that people simply love Maine potatoes.
    “In light of attendance being down, we had a pretty successful year,” he said, noting that the price for a baked potato increased from $4.50 to $5.
    The most successful day was Saturday, Sept. 20, in which 6,427 potatoes were sold. By comparison, only 2,526 were sold Friday, Sept. 26. It takes about 1,200 50-pound bags of potatoes to keep the booth stocked.
    The booth serves a dual purpose. Besides promoting Maine potatoes, booth sales account for 35 percent of the board’s annual income, or nearly $355,000. That money, in turn, is used for advertising and other promotional costs.
    “It’s a pretty substantial part of our budget,” Flannery said.
    From Sept. 12-28 – for 12 hours a day – a crew made up of Massachusetts residents and Maine Potato Board officials helped move potatoes from six, large convection ovens to the hundreds upon hundreds of people who stood in line for a Maine spud.
    While Flannery and the other potato board staff members – Director of Development Timothy Hobbs and Administrative Assistants Carol Adams and Carol Yaeger – travel to western Massachusetts to oversee booth operation on the three weeks of The Big E, day-to-day operations are overseen by a local staff of 30 full- and part-time workers. At the head of that staff is Kitchen Manager Cindy Weber.
    “It would be impossible to do without the local people,” Flannery said.
    Perhaps the true benefit for Maine, however, isn’t so much about products sold as it is about revenues generated. Every dollar made in net income by selling Maine baked potatoes at The Big E goes directly back into the potato industry, supporting education, research, and grower activities.
    “We don’t have a lot of the expenses in yet,” said Flannery, “but it appears we should have an income of around $401,000.
    “We never heard any complaints on the cost,” he said. “All in all, it was very successful, and our loaded baked potato was the hottest food attraction at the fair.”
    The Big E, founded in 1916, brings together all six New England states in one location to share ideas, improve agriculture, and showcase the traditional and new products that make each state unique.