Each year, the University of North Dakota and the Grand Forks community come together to celebrate the annual Potato Bowl by hosting various events throughout the weekend of the Potato Bowl football game. This year’s Potato Bowl game between the UND Fighting Hawks and the Idaho State Bengals took place at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota on September 14.
Aside from the game, there are many other events that took place throughout the week leading up to it. Perhaps one of the most anticipated events is, the annual Simplot French Fry Feed that took place at University Park on Thursday, September 12 before the big game. The French Fry Feed is an entirely free event where members of the Grand Forks community are encouraged to show up and eat as many free French fries as they can. The fries are provided by Simplot and served by UND’s own student volunteers, and it was open to all members of all ages of the Grand Forks and UND community.
At the French Fry Feed, there were also inflatable games that were meant to appeal to the kids in the community. Over the course of the Potato Bowl, there were plenty of opportunities for people of all ages to get out into the community and have some fun. This includes the activities at the French Fry Feed as well as the “Get Wet and Run Wild” event that was hosted by Choice Health & Fitness that encourages kids and their families to be active.
Another highly anticipated event that occurs is the KEM Shrine Potato Bowl Parade. This happens in the morning on the day of the football game. The parade began in downtown Grand Forks and then made its way across the Red River and into East Grand Forks. Featured in the parade were multiple UND associated groups including the Pride of the North marching band, as well as businesses from the Grand Forks area, local schools’ marching bands, and many more. This serves as a great opportunity for these organizations to advertise themselves as well as a great opportunity for the community to support these organizations by doing something fun and attending the parade.
After the parade, people began to make their way over to the Alerus Center parking lot to begin their tailgating activities before the game began at 1 pm. Tailgating is an exciting way for students and UND football fans to get out and support their favorite team and get excited about the game to come.
Overall, the 58th Annual Potato Bowl was another great success for the Grand Forks and UND community and will continue to be an exciting time for many years to come.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
