Long Island’s potato-farming history will take center stage Nov. 7 and 8, when the inaugural Long Island Potato Festival comes to Farmingdale State College (2350 NY-110, Farmingdale, 934-420-2000).
The festival was created to reconnect Long Islanders with the Island’s agricultural history, particularly the role potatoes once played in farming here. The weekend will blend that history with food, live music, rides, family activities, a farmers market and other festival attractions.
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 7 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 8, both on the President’s Lawn across from Horton Hall. Admission is free, with free general parking and paid VIP parking available.
Potatoes have a long history on Long Island. Cornell University identifies Long Island as one of the areas of New York where potatoes are grown on some of the state’s larger farms, citing the Island’s deep, fertile soils as a reason for their success here. Cornell’s Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center in Riverhead also dates to the late 19th century, when agricultural researchers recognized that Long Island’s soils, climate, pest problems and markets warranted research specific to the region.
The festival brings some of that agricultural history to the event through its participating farms and local businesses.
Hoshyla Farms in Manorville will present the festival’s farmers market. The farm’s history is tied directly to potato farming; Dimytri and Anna Hoshyla moved east to Manorville in 1954 to produce potatoes and cauliflower. Today, the farm grows lavender and sells lavender products.
Sidor Farms will also contribute to the North Fork. The Mattituck farm will not have a booth at the festival, according to organizers, but will send North Fork Potato Chips to distribute to guests throughout the weekend. Sidor Farms says its potato-growing history on the North Fork dates to 1910, when the founder’s grandfather began growing potatoes on Long Island.
Other Long Island agricultural businesses participating in the festival’s farmers market include Boozy Bull Soap, Swell Chips, Olive Cottage and Plans & Pastures Co., along with the Long Island Farm Bureau.
Beyond the agricultural history, the festival will feature a food court with potato dishes and festival favorites, carnival rides and a “Tots” area presented by Saf-T-Swim, including touch-a-truck and tractor displays. Live music will take place throughout the weekend. The festival will also feature a photo booth sponsored by Arrow Metal and e-Waste Recycling, a beer garden presented by Industrial Threaded Products and the farmers market.
Reworld is supporting the festival’s sanitation efforts. Nicolock Paving and Retaining Walls is the founding partner and lead sponsor, while Property Tax Reduction Consultants is a supporting sponsor.
For a region where potato farming once played an important role in the agricultural landscape, the festival offers a chance to look back while celebrating the farms, farmers and agricultural businesses that remain.
And for North Forkers, that history is especially close to home. Sidor Farms’ century-plus history of growing potatoes in Mattituck is one example of the crop’s continuing connection to the East End, while Hoshyla Farms’ history shows how Long Island farming families have adapted as agriculture has changed.
The festival is ultimately about reconnecting with that history, but it is also about having a little fun with it: enjoying the rides, listening to live music, exploring the farmers market and, naturally, eating some potatoes along the way.
