“I love potatoes a lot,” said Henderson, a local singer better know as Janelle Jaye, her stage name. “It kept bothering me as to why we (Dayton) do not have a potato festival.”
Spring Valley in Greene County has hosted a potato festival for four decades.
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The burning question gave birth to Henderson’s latest venture, the Potatoes N’ Such: Dayton Potato Festival.
The free, hot-out-of-the-deep-fryer event is scheduled for noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton.
Henderson has her eyes (potatoes have eyes) on all kinds of potato dishes.
“Of course loaded baked potatoes, loaded red mashed potatoes, potato skins, Au-gratin potatoes, potato soup, potato pancakes, homemade potato chips, loaded French fries, sweet potato fries, sweet potato pie, sweet potato souffle, multi-colored fingerling potato dishes, maybe even perhaps potato substitutes like mashed cauliflower, she told us.
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Henderson has long been a friend of America’s favorite starch.
Credit: Shuttershock
Credit: Shuttershock
That love intensified when she became a vegetarian a little more than two years ago.
“I have to contain myself sometimes,” she said. “I make really good red mashed potatoes.”
She is currently seeking vendors for the new event.
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A vendor application is available online at DaytonPotatoFestivalApp.
Sponsorship and other questions should be directed to jayeenterprises2020@gmail.com.
“If all my sponsorships go well, I will have a band and a DJ, and radio promo prior to the event,” she said.
Credit: Shutterstock
Credit: Shutterstock
WANT TO GO?
What: Potatoes N' Such: Dayton Potato Festival.
Where: Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton
When: noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 at
Cost: Free
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