Potato Day at Centennial Village
Greeley Museums
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The Friends of the Greeley Museums’ annual Potato Day celebration is Saturday, September 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Centennial Village Museum. The museum is just south of Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley.

The event features musical entertainment, old-fashioned children’s games, historical demonstrations and tours, and more. A baked potato is included in every paid admission. Potato Day admission is $7. My wife and I went last year and loved it. Centennial Village is amazing.

A beer garden will feature a variety of brews served from tap by Crabtree Brewing, some of which include ingredients grown at the City of Greeley Museums’ White-Plumb Farm Learning Center. Proceeds from the beer garden will also benefit the Friends group.

Greeley’s economy in the 19th century was largely dependent upon potatoes that reached national markets by rail. In 1894, Greeley citizens paid homage to potatoes and other crops by transforming its downtown Lincoln Park into an agricultural pavilion and hosting a feast to celebrate the harvest. Over 6,000 people attended the event, many coming from Denver on excursion trains. Guests feasted on baked potatoes, coffee, and lamb and beef roasted in barbeque pits dug in the park.

Friends of the Greeley Museums

Potato Day has become the largest annual fundraiser for the Friends of the Greeley Museums. Since 1987, the group has raised and donated over $400,000 to the City of Greeley Museums for educational programs and preservation projects. Last year the group’s largest contribution was a $40,000 on-site pavilion used for outdoor events.

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