Potato Fest 2025 – A Smash Hit!

The faces of the children when the potato piñata exploded were worth everything! I’m happy no one got clocked on the head with a potato. Yes, I put small fingerling potatoes in the piñata, along with, obviously, a bunch of chocolate, Twizzlers, gummy bears, and potato stickers.

And then there was the edible potato diorama, brought by Tom, complete with bear and wolf figures drinking from a serene BBQ sauce river. Herbs from the Beach 91st Street Community completed the culinary piece, bringing color and texture to the landscape. At first, people hesitated to eat it because it was so beautiful, but we encouraged them to go for it!

People eating, kids playing with  Ms. Potato Head on the bright blanket. Buddy, the baby, was wobbling around with giant sticky craft eyeballs on his head. A couple reading about potatoes in fine art through history at the Education Table. Potatoes everywhere—talking, laughing, music. Perfect potato weather.

The FedEx driver idled at the curb while Erin Moon strummed her guitar. A signal that our community is bigger than the circles we already know. Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately – inclusiveness. I want “All are welcome,” in truth. That’s the energy I’m chasing with the events I produce at the garden. I want to mix together folks who don’t usually connect and see what wonderful things it will bring.

A sincere thank you to our cooks for the amazing potato dishes and to the artists—vocalist/guitarist Erin Moon, flutist Daniel Hanna, and DJ / Producer Mikal Hameed of ReBaroque. And thank you to everyone who joined us at Potato Fest 2025. You are important. Here’s to a mix-and-mash of Rockaway and keeping the community table open, for whoever would like a seat.

For more on Rockaway events, visit theglorifiedtomato.com and follow Paula around town on Instagram: @theglorifedtomato.