Home found for 'Mighty Spud'

EPHRATA - The exhibit "Mighty Spud and His Spud Machine" has a

future at the Grant County Historical Museum.

The working model French fry maker display was recently acquired

by the museum and Its new home is now in Ephrata.

EPHRATA - The exhibit "Mighty Spud and His Spud Machine" has a future at the Grant County Historical Museum.

The working model French fry maker display was recently acquired by the museum and Its new home is now in Ephrata.

There are plans to display it next year after the museum's 700,500 square-foot Big Barn is rebuilt.

Museum director Pat Witham learned about the display after reading an Aug. 6 article in the Columbia Basin Herald.

The Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science & Technology (CREHST) in Richland had "Mighty Spud" in storage and was trying to give it away for educational use.

CREHST took the exhibit down because more room was needed for a Lewis and Clark display.

Witham contacted CREHST to learn about bringing the display to Ephrata.

Grant County Historical Museum board members Bill Robinson and Dale Lathrop, and a friend of Lathrop's, picked up the exhibit and brought it to Ephrata.

Witham described the exhibit as "hands on."

"It will be really exciting," Witham said.

The Washington State Potato Commission helped CREHST find a home for the exhibit.

Karen Bonaudi, the commission's assistant executive director, said they knew someone would want "Mighty Spud."

"The problem with an exhibit like that is that it's fairly large and takes maintenance," she said. "You can't move it around."

The organizations that can handle it are limited in number.

"The thing that's appealing to us, is that it shows the process of manufacturing French fries," Bonaudi commented. "Everyone is curious about that."