Spectacular Spud Days saturates Shelley with all things potato

SHELLEY, Idaho (KIFI) – Spud Days in Shelley is bringing all the fun to the City of the Russets.

All the potato-themed activities were in full swing at Shelley City Park, and thousands of people showed up for the festivities.

Saturday was the car show, potato picking contest, the Spud Run and the children's parade.

But the culmination was the infamous 2026 Spud Tug.

Teams like the Smiling Spuds, Scott's Tots, Tons of Cousins, Elders of Israel, the Potato Skins, Garden Variet, Lucy's Angels and the Stud Tugs competed in a vigorous tug-of-war contest ending in a massive pit filled with 500 gallons of mashed potatoes.

Teams tugged back and forth, sometimes for minutes on end, until one person slid into the mashed potato mess.

The spec-taters roared each round – celebrating 99 years since Spud Days' founding in 1927.

Ultimately, in the championship match, Team Hailey's Comet emerged victorious after a furious 8-second tussle with Five Guys with Extra Fries.

"We had pulled pork sandwiches before this, so that was a big help, honestly," said winning teammate Ethan Corbett. "We've been training for years for this moment. Everything we do, we do it for our Grandma. We've been training for her, so shout out to Grandma right over there. But, yeah, it's honestly been fun. It was kind of unexpected, but we came out on top." 

Fellow tug-of-war contestant, Hailey Sorensen, is a repeat Spud Tug champion.

"I had no idea we were going to win. I won on our team four years ago, so this just feels nostalgic in a way," Sorensen said. "I'm excited to do this with my husband, my cousin and my brother."

Her husband Bodie Sorensen shared a secret behind their success.

"We really got our rhythm down. We didn't really even talk about the rhythm beforehand, but once we started, I feel like we got very unified as we were pulling," he said. "Got a good rhythm together, and that really got us the win."

Colter Carlson and Nathan Ball anchored the team for the victory.

"This was amazing, and I'm so happy to be here," Carlson said.

Miss Russet crowned Hailey's Comet as champions, and the team eagerly awaits next year's competition in Spud Days' 100th year.