HOULTON, Maine — Judy Wexler spent much of Friday evening visiting friends in downtown Houlton before stopping at the craft fair in the community on Saturday.
It was an annual tradition, she said Saturday, to attend the events in Market Square, which was the center of activity over the weekend for the annual Potato Feast Days celebration.
The events, which kicked off on Friday, included the annual Doll and Wagon Wrangler Parade, touch-a-truck, a lobster feast in Monument Park and music in the Amphitheater.
The festivities celebrate the upcoming potato harvest. This was the 60th annual fete.
On Saturday, there was a community market, craft fair, kid’s games in Market Square, an ice cream social and The Friends and Needles Quilting Club’s Quilt Show.
The lobster feed, which is one of the newest events, is sponsored by the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce.
Wexler, who is a resident of Presque Isle, said on Saturday that she attended both the lobster feast on Friday evening and the concert by the popular local band Rock Renaissance.
“It really was wonderful,” she said. “They played the old time music that I used to listen to when I was in high school. It was the first time in a few years that I’ve had lobster, so eating it with other people I knew made it even better.”
Katie Collins of Houlton attended the annual parade of dolls to watch her niece take part in the event for the first time.
“I still remember being in that parade myself when I was a kid,” she said. “It is really neat to see the number of boys that are in the parade now with their wagons and trucks. When I was a kid, it was mostly girls. I am glad it has evolved like that.”
A chicken barbecue, which was sponsored by the Houlton Fire Department, wrapped up the events on Saturday evening. Proceeds from the event will help the department purchase much-needed equipment updates.
