FORT FAIRFIELD — A girls softball tournament, swim meet, three-on-three basketball tourney and a 5-mile road race will highlight a busy slate of athletic events for the upcoming Maine Potato Blossom Festival.
The nine-day festival begins Saturday and the first athletic events will be held on Tuesday, July 12, with the girls softball tourney, the swim meet and the basketball tourney.
The softball tourney is for two age groups, ages 9-12 and 13-16, and will be held at the Fort Fairfield Athletic Complex beginning at 8:30 a.m.
The swim meet is for those ages 18 and under and will be held at the Fort Fairfield municipal swimming pool at 9 a.m.
The basketball tourney is at the Fort Fairfield Community Center and begins at 6 p.m., with registration at 5:45 p.m.
Three more events are set for Saturday, July 16. The Festival 5-mile road race begins at 8:30 a.m. for walkers and 9 a.m. for runners. The race begins across from the Hillside IGA on Main Street. Registration is at 7:30 a.m.
The Festival’s golf tourney is a three-person scramble and will be held at the Aroostook Valley Golf Club in Fort Fairfield.
Also set for Saturday is the Regatta on the Aroostook, a race for canoe and kayak competitors on the Aroostook River. The 6.5-mile race begins at 5 p.m. after registration from 3-4:45 p.m. at Forbes Landing.
The Spud Cycle Classic Bicycle Race wraps up the Festival’s athletic events on Sunday, July 17. The 25- and 12-mile races begin at 10 a.m. at the Blockhouse on Main Street and end at Hillcrest Estates while the youth events at 11:30 a.m. begin and end near the Community Center.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Community Center.
The Festival also features a triathlon competition based on participation in the road race, cycling race and regatta. Awards are based on the combined times from those three events.
Those seeking more information on the events may contact the Fort Fairfield Recreation Department at 472-3882.