MITCHELL, SD – This community in south-central South Dakota is known as the home of the World’s Only Corn Palace, a structure that pays homage to the town’s agricultural roots and the corn grown in the area. But on March 30, Mitchell became home to another agricultural landmark: the World’s Largest Idaho Potato Display.

At the County Fair store on Havens Ave., store owners Justin Luther and Steve Clarke teamed with Matt Roy of Associated Wholesale Grocers and Patrick Mills of the Idaho Potato Commission to construct a massive potato display outside the front entrance of the supermarket. The display, which consisted of 120,000 pounds of Idaho potatoes packed in 10-pound bags, filled the entire 42x18-foot front entrance area and created substantial buzz in the community, drawing onlookers who marveled at the scale of the project.

Mills, who is Retail Promotion Director-West for the IPC, said the original goal of moving more potatoes evolved to include a charitable component, as the majority of the product in the display was to be donated to Feeding South Dakota, a food bank that serves the state, as well as given away to loyal County Fair shoppers.

“We wanted to do this in the Heartland of America, so the location was perfect,” said Mills. “And the 120,000 pounds of potatoes is the equivalent of 250,000 individual spuds, and we thought that would be a great way to honor the 250th birthday of the United States.”

Roy, fresh produce and floral sales manager at AWG, told The Produce News that the idea for this record-breaking potato display was hatched last October at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, which he and Luther attended together.

“We went out to dinner one night and started brainstorming about how we could do something cool – and obnoxious – to promote Idaho potatoes,” he said. “We had been promoting Idaho very aggressively for the last few years because of the quality and value they offer, and this year we wanted to take it to another level.”

Roy added that the timing was designed to fall within the Potato Lovers Month retail display contest window, and having it during the week leading up to Easter meant it could offer even more value to County Fair shoppers, who were eligible to receive a free 10-pound bag with a minimum $20 purchase.

“So between the donation to Feeding South Dakota and the free handouts to loyal shoppers, we’re essentially giving away 120,000 pounds of the best quality potatoes,” he said.

Roy said County Fair was an ideal partner for the display since the well-known owners Luther and Clarke are part of the fabric of the community in Mitchell. That fits well for AWG, which works with independent retailers, many of which are family-owned.

“We are extremely grateful for the donation,” said Susanne Gale, senior development officer at Feeding South Dakota. “An event like this is so fun and it supports the local community. More and more people have been utilizing our program, so a donation like this really helps.”

Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson also made an appearance and was awestruck by the display. “I hope the structural integrity of the concrete is good enough to hold a display that large!” he quipped.

But Mayor Hanson was also moved by the event, which he said truly drew the community together to celebrate its agricultural roots. In fact, he was so moved that he read a proclamation that recognized March 30, 2026 as Potato Day in Mitchell.

Luther said documentation of the display, including time lapse video of the construction, would be sent to the Guinness Book of World Records for verification as the World’s Largest Idaho Potato Display. Your move, Corn Palace.