Giant Potato to Roll Into Agoura Hills

Agoura Hills and Los Angeles are on the stop for a big game of hot potato.

"The Famous Idaho Potato Tour," featuring a 12,000-pound model spud, is scheduled to be at the Great Race of Agoura Hills on March 19 and the KXLU 88.9 FM radio station on March 23.

According to The Famous Idaho Potato Tour website, this is the fourth tour for the Big Idaho Potato Truck that hauls the enormous vegetable. It's a tradition that started as a way to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Idaho Potato Commission, and now, Tater Team organizers said it's become a big piece of pop culture.

Some people are fooled into thinking it's real, but builders created the oversized model of the state's most famous crop. It weighs about six tons -- that's about 1,102 times heavier than the largest potato every really grown, which weighed 11 pounds, according to the website.

If a potato ever did grow to be that big, it would make more than 30,000 servings of mashed potatoes or 1.5 million French fries.

As part of the tour, Tater Team members give back to the communities where the truck stops through a program they call "A Big Helping." They partner with various charities to help raise awareness, money or food donations.

The massive potato will be on display from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 19 in Agoura Hills and 10 a.m. to noon March 23 at KXLU 88.9 FM, 1 LMU Drive. For more information, or to track the potato's progress, visit www.bigidahopotato.com.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of Big Idaho Potato