The Daily Bulletin headline of Sept. 18, 1939, reads “Eastern Idaho State Fair Opens Here Tomorrow” and directly below is a photo of Idaho’s governor, C.A. Bottolfson, working out in the YMCA Gymnasium. Bottolfson stated that he needed to be in top form to bring the title of Spud-Picking Champion to Idaho. Former Idaho Gov. Barzilla W. Clark had traveled to Maine in 1938 and had lost that contest to Maine’s governor, Lewis O. Barrows, in close competition. The new governor, Bottolfson, was determined to right that wrong.

Articles each day in the Daily Bulletin gave details of the preparations and built interest in the contest scheduled for Friday afternoon at the Fairgrounds. Lt. Gov. Donald S. Whitehead pronounced Maine residents “jittery over their prospects” since no one would take him up on his offer of a friendly wager on the outcome of the contest. Governors of other states declined Bottolfson’s invitation to serve as judges for the event, though several sent messages of support. Gov. Baldwell of Connecticut wrote that Barrows would be handicapped in the contest because of the size of Idaho’s potatoes, but Barrows fired back that he had been practicing with cucumbers.

The Salt Lake Tribune for Thursday printed a photo of Gov. Bottolfson greeting Gov. Barrows and Mrs. Barrows at the Pocatello Airport. Barrows boasted to reporters that he would out-pick Bottolfson by at least 10 pounds, but former-Gov. Clark, also at the airport, warned the crowd to be aware of “skullduggery in the Maine camp.” He said, “Barrows did beat me in 1938 by only 4 pounds, and his barrel of potatoes included 3 rocks.”

A state police escort took all the dignitaries to Idaho Falls for a luncheon, the first of a long list of events and meals planned for the out-of-town celebrities. A large crowd lined Blackfoot’s streets to catch a glimpse of the governors as they paused in town to view the third annual fair parade.

Friday morning dawned cold and rainy, as the state first ladies were shuttled to Blackfoot, where they were honored at a breakfast sponsored by the Current Events Club and held at their clubhouse at 108 South University. The gentlemen were taken by the Blackfoot Unit of the Idaho National Guard to the potato field — a special plot planted at the fairgrounds — to look over the arrangements. A photo of the two governors was taken at the starting line, both men poised over their baskets and ready to start. At least 10,000 spectators had gathered to watch and the contest was to be broadcast live over a nationwide hookup.

The sun peeked out just before the scheduled 2:15 p.m. start time. Prolonged cheering greeted the contestants as they entered the arena. The starting gun sounded, and they were off. Bottolfson took an early lead, and the crowd was confident of victory, but after five minutes of picking, the results weighed out at 365 pounds for Bottolfson and 387 ½ pounds for Barrows. Maine had retained the crown.

Gov. Barrows had been so confident of victory that he had made plans to host a banquet, featuring Maine lobsters, in Pocatello that evening, with the governor and Mrs. Bottolfson as special guests. Barrows and his wife left on Saturday, visiting Sun Valley and Boise before returning to Maine.

Members of the Bannock Tribe from nearby Fort Hall, Ralph Dixey, Tom Congrove and Eugene Edmo, had served as judges, and gifted both governors with headdresses from the Tribe.

Eric Sundquist, manager of the fair, termed the potato-picking contest the greatest attraction since the visit to the fair of former President Teddy Roosevelt in 1912.