Posts Tagged “Western Trailer”
BOISE, Idaho – The head-turning, jaw-dropping Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck is back on the road for its third consecutive cross-country tour with a new message for women: Take care of your heart! The five-month long, 2014 Big Idaho® Potato Truck Tour kicked off in Boise, Idaho with waves, cheers, and hugs from the students of Riverside Elementary School and salutes from soldiers at the Air Force Base in Mountain Home.
In 2011, fresh Idaho® potatoes were certified by the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check Food Certification Program by meeting the program’s nutrition requirements and they now bear the highly recognized and respected Heart-Check mark on the packaging. This recognition is profoundly helpful in reminding consumers that Idaho® potatoes can be a part of their everyday diet. Knowing that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women (mothers, sisters, daughters, friends) and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined, it’s more important than ever that women understand the role both diet and exercise play in achieving a healthy lifestyle.
“The Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) support of the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement provides another new and exciting way we can remind consumers, especially women, of the nutritional benefits Idaho® potatoes offer,” said Frank Muir, President and CEO, IPC. “In addition to a new charity beneficiary, we’ve rebranded the Truck so it showcases fresh Idaho® potatoes prepared in various ways and creatively communicates the potato’s nutritional benefits.”
“The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement is grateful to the Idaho Potato Commission for supporting us in our fight against heart disease in women,” said Bernie Dennis, Chairman, American Heart Association National Board of Directors. “This is an exciting opportunity for the Idaho Potato Commission to help educate consumers on ways they can prevent heart disease through diet and exercise.”
In 2014, the truck will visit 26 states and travel close to 19,000 miles during a five-month period. The Truck and its seasoned traveling Tater Team will stop at high traffic events like the Kentucky Derby, the Art Car Parade and Festival in Houston, Texas and the 55th World Lumberjack Competition in Hayward, Wisconsin. In between events, the Truck will visit key retailers and foodservice operators, and local places of interest it finds along the way.
The Truck The Great Big Idaho® Potato weighs more than 6 tons (the equivalent of 32,346 medium-sized Idaho® potatoes). It has become a traveling ambassador for the country’s most famous potato. After being seen by hundreds of millions of Americans in person and in the IPC’s national television commercial, the most frequently asked question is, “Is it real?” We’ll never tell… but in the event it is, the Great Big Idaho® Potato:
- Would take more than 10,000 years to grow.
- Is 1,102 times heavier than the largest potato ever grown, which weighed 11 pounds.
- Would take 2 years and 9 months to bake.
The Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck was created and built by Chris Schofield and Sharolyn Spruce of Weiser, Idaho. With the help of a few specialized contractors, they spent an entire year designing and building this incredible vehicle. The Kenworth Sales Company and Western Trailer, both based in Boise, Idaho, also aided with the construction.
The Tour To find out when the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck will be in a city near you, please visit www.bigidahopotato.com. The website provides in-depth information about the Truck, the IPC’s support of the Go Red For Women movement and weekly updates with tales and photos from the road.
Atlanta, GA – As part of its cross-country tour, the Great Big Idaho® Potato 
Truck spent a few days enjoying the southern hospitality in Atlanta, Ga. One of its first stops was the Atlanta Food Truck Park on 1850 Howell Mill Road. Lunchtime visitors had an opportunity to view this “spudtacular” vehicle and four local Meals On Wheels agencies received a total of 350,000 servings of Idahoan Mashed Potatoes, ready-to-serve, dehydrated potato products.
The Idaho Potato Commission built the truck, a larger-than-life version of the vintage Idaho potato postcard, in celebration of its milestone 75th Anniversary. Weighing in at six tons (the equivalent of 32,346 medium-sized Idaho® potatoes), the Great Big Idaho® Potato is traversing the country to greet fans and to help raise funds and awareness for the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA), the oldest and largest national organization dedicated to helping end senior hunger.
“Idaho® potatoes generate more than $4 billion dollars in revenue annually and employ more than 30,000 people. Agriculture and potatoes in particular are the primary reasons Idaho is among the most fiscally sound states in the nation,” explained Frank Muir, president and CEO, IPC.
The Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck made its national debut at the Famous Idaho® Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho last December when ESPN prominently featured it several times during the game. Since then, the Truck has made several public appearances and at every venue, the most frequently asked question is: “Is it real?” We’ll never tell, but consider that the Great Big Idaho® Potato…
* Would take more than 10,000 years to grow.
* Is 1,102 times heavier than the largest potato ever grown, which weighed 11 pounds.
* Would take two years and nine months to bake.
* Could make 30,325 servings of mashed potatoes and more than 1.4 million (1,455,570) average-sized fries!
The Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck was created and built by Chris Schofield and Sharolyn Spruce of Weiser, Idaho. With the help of a few specialized contractors, they spent an entire year designing and building this incredible vehicle. The Kenworth Sales Company and Western Trailer, both based in Boise, Idaho, also aided with the construction.
To find out when the Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck will be in a city near you, please visit www.bigidahopotato.com. The website provides in-depth information about the Truck, the IPC’s partnership with MOWAA and is updated regularly with tales and photos from the road.
Source: Idaho Potato Commission