BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Many people go to the Kern County Fair just to sample the food but one booth, in particular, has been a favorite since the '50s.
The baked potato booth run by the Boy Scouts of America has been a staple of the Kern County Fair since the 1950s. Some people wait up to 45 minutes in line to get their hands on one of these.
"Every year we serve about 12,000 baked potatoes," explained Jesse Lopez, a Boy Scouts executive. "Some of our customers have been coming probably since the 50's to get a baked potato so they come every year and they tell me this is the first food booth they visit because they wait a whole year just to get a baked potato."
The baked potatoes are mostly known for their large size.
"So the key step in the process for making the potatoes is that they come directly from Idaho which makes them nice and big and people enjoy big potatoes," said Lopez.
And while the traditional toppings are popular, this year, there's a new menu item.
"This year we're introducing the hot Cheetos fried potato," added Lopez.
One hundred percent of the proceeds made at the baked potato booth go toward the Boy Scouts program.
"Every dollar that we raise at the booth stays here locally and brings more youth into the scouting program. This summer we took some young men and women from the east side up to camp and for a lot of them it was their first time in the woods."
About a hundred volunteers work the booth every year.
