Idaho Potato Commission Makes Major Announcement about Iconic Potato

Last year, organizers of the Idaho Potato Drop refreshed the giant potato they drop in front of the Capitol on New Year's Eve and made it a big, shiny "glow-tato."  The Idaho Potato Commission must have been impressed, because it's doing something similar to the iconic 6-ton potato it drives across the country. 

Over the past six years, you've probably seen IPC's 6-ton replica Russet Burbank potato at parades, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and other iconic Idaho events. According to Capital Press, that potato has survived a lot longer than it was initially made for.  Unveiled in 2011, the potato was meant to commemorate the commission's 75th anniversary and only be shown off for one year.  However, proud Idahoans loved the truck, so they've resurfaced and repainted the potato every year to keep it around longer.

Unfortunately, over six years IPC's identified some flaws with their Great Big Idaho Potato Truck.  It's just wide enough to earn it a "wide load" designation.  Wide loads aren't allowed to travel at night, meaning the potato's had to sit out the holiday night light parades like the ones in Meridian and Caldwell. There's also a chance the boards underneath the facade aren't structurally sound anymore. That's a real danger to anyone riding on it.

So what's next for the potato truck? Rather than retiring it, the IPC will spend a couple hundred thousand dollars to make a brand new "glow-tato" to put on the trailer.  It will be crafted by the same family who build the Potato Drop's "glow-tato" last year.  The new potato will be narrow enough to drive at night and will feature special lighting to make appear to glow in the dark.

Some fun facts about the old potato? It's traveled to 7,200 US Cities and has about 148,00 miles under it's belt.