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Jeffrey Thompson
Barnesville, Minn.

Celebrating the spud, in all its forms

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Wrestling in mashed potatoes
Competitors wrestle in a pool of mashed potatoes during Potato Days in Barnesville, Minn., on Friday.
Jeffrey Thompson / MPR News

Since it began in 1938, Potato Days in Barnesville, Minn., is the annual celebration of the spud. The two-day event, held Aug. 22 and 23 this year, attracted thousands of people, and featured more than a dozen potato-centered competitions -- everything from mashed potato wrestling to a strongman contest.

• More summer festival photo galleries, #mprsummer

Gallery
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Potato decorations
Paper potato characters decorate business storefronts.
Jeffrey Thompson / MPR News
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Wrestling in mashed potatoes
Competitors wrestle in a pool of mashed potatoes during Potato Days in Barnesville, Minn., on Friday.
Jeffrey Thompson / MPR News
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Competitors
Eleven-year-old twins Connor and Logan Haberman and cousin Austin Asher, 6, all of Pequot Lakes, Minn., pose for photos following their mashed potato wrestling bout on Friday.
Jeffrey Thompson / MPR News