An a-peeling event at Huble Homestead
The eyes have it! The potato puns flew around Huble Homestead as the Huble Homestead Giscome Portage Heritage Society held their ever-popular annual Potato Festival on Sunday and Monday of the long weekend.
The parking lot was filled Sunday and people were parking along the road leading up to the site to get their fill of all things potato.
On offer was a variety of heirloom potatoes for sale, along with other harvested root vegetables, including turnips and carrots and beets by the bunches.
Live entertainment was provided by Saltwater Hank, Junior Britt and Chloe and Barry Nakahara as site tours took place around the homestead.
For those who wanted to mash things up a bit (see what I did there?), there was potato peeling contests and other potato games and races like – you guessed it – potato sack races.
There was blacksmith and wood turning demonstrations and ice cream and butter making where guests could lend a hand.
And, of course, on the menu was potato pancakes, potato bacon soup, potato salad and burgers could come with a side of delicious handcut fries.
One family that usually comes to check things out at least twice a year is the Racicot family of Prince George and for the first time Sarah’s father came with them.
Jeremy Bignell, visiting from Britain, joined Sarah and grandsons Luke, 8, Owen, 5, and their dad Matt, as they made the trek from Prince George.
Matt decided stilt-walking was one activity he couldn’t pass up and while his family gleefully looked on he successfully navigated his way to a grassy knoll.
Jeremy marveled at the distance from Prince George the Huble family decided to homestead.
“I’m intrigued by the isolation here – we’ve just come from Prince George and it’s taken 40 minutes or so – and to think of somebody living here – and the lady at the entrance said the family had a Model T Ford in 1915 – it’s staggering to think of the journey just to get into Prince George. To get around here you had to be self-sufficient and that’s extraordinary. I love these pioneering sites and they’re always near a source of water, which is life-giving and life-threatening, too, in the wrong circumstances.”
He noted that Huble Homestead is along the mighty Fraser River.
Sarah thinks it’s important for people to see how it was back in the day and is happy to support Huble Homestead’s efforts.
“And we get to see how history works,” Luke said.
Taking the lead on organizing the Potato Festival was Nicole Krizmanich, program manager for the society.
“This is always one of our favourite events,” Krizmanich said. “It’s bittersweet because it marks the end of the regular season for us. But it’s a really fun event and everyone enjoys it, including the staff who just harvested the garden.”
The staff planted, watered and weeded the garden throughout the summer.
“It’s the fruits of their labour that you see here today,” Krizmanich said.
“We’re all fans of the potato as well. The staff thinks it’s hilarious – it’s raining and we still have people out here to enjoy the festival. So we know we’re not the only ones that like the mighty spud.”
Huble Homestead is now closed for the regular season with just a few special events on the fall schedule.
There is Scavenger Saturday on Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and an Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving on Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a two-day Halloween Spooktacular on Oct. 26-27.
For more information about Huble Homestead visit hublehomestead.ca.