Where will the Idaho Potato Drop be this year? In ‘the perfect spot’

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Dylan Cline, CEO of the Idaho Potato Drop, had big news to share in September. He had “locked in the perfect spot,” Cline told an Expo Idaho official in an email, seemingly referencing the 2026 spud-themed New Year’s celebration.

The move came after a fireball erupted at this past New Year’s event, shattering windows and injuring a child in downtown Boise. Cline, before he heard about the injury, celebrated the explosion and blasted the city of Boise, telling a police officer that the event wouldn’t be back in the typical spot close to the Idaho Capitol.

Cline appears to be trying to keep that promise: Organizers had recently reached out to the park at Expo Idaho for a contract, hoping to shift the event to the Ada County property, a possibility that drew headlines throughout the Treasure Valley. Expo Idaho officials ultimately declined the opportunity. Publicly, they said it was because of paint and remodel projects, but privately emails showed at least one staff member harbored concerns about the event, according to documents obtained through a records request.

“This feels like a foreseeable nightmare,” Administrative Specialist Kelly Sarich wrote.

But according to Cline, it all worked out.

“Please don’t feel bad about your decision,” Cline wrote to Expo Idaho staff on Sept. 11 while mentioning he’d found a new spot. “… This location has it all and is perfect for the upcoming HGVT shoot. In all honesty, the recent press we got was a perfect ruse to throw everyone off our tracks for the new event location.”

But where exactly is that location? Cline, reached by email, told the Idaho Statesman that this year’s tater bash will “be held in Idaho.” He did not respond to a follow-up question asking for specifics. Cline also threatened the Statesman with litigation.

Nonprofit organization Destination Caldwell reached out to Cline on Oct. 7, inquiring about hosting a New Year’s Eve event in Indian Creek Plaza, the city’s revitalized downtown core. In response, Cline wrote, “We are currently vetting and considering a few different venues,” according to emails received via a records request. But in Canyon County, there seemed to be enthusiasm for the event to move west.

“I’d love to bring this to downtown!” Caldwell Mayor Eric Phillips wrote in an email obtained through a records request.

Caldwell spokesperson Jessica Watts said in an email to the Statesman that the city “has been looking into the possibility” of hosting this year. But staff were still evaluating “whether it would fit within this year’s budget.”

“We’re continuing to look at the options and what may be feasible,” Watts said. Destination Caldwell spokesperson Brittan Aebischer told the Statesman that Caldwell and Indian Creek Plaza are in “the early exploratory stages” about bringing a ”similar New Year’s festival to Caldwell in the future.”

“We’ve admired the festival’s growth and success under its founder’s leadership,” Aebischer said.

The Statesman’s search for other suitable venues turned up fruitless.

Fireworks typically require lots of space, and at least a couple educational entities have fields downtown: the Boise School District and Boise State University.

But Dan Hollar, with the Boise School District, said he wasn’t aware of any records showing the Idaho Potato Drop had reached out. Boise State spokesperson Stephany Galbreaith said the college has no plans to host the Potato Drop. The Idaho Department of Lands also hadn’t received any applications.

JUMP, in downtown Boise, a popular event space, will also not play host to the Potato Drop, according to Simplot spokesperson Josh Jordan.

There’s also, of course, the whole rest of the Treasure Valley. However, Adam Nelson with the Meridian Speedway said via email that his racetrack hadn’t heard from the organizers. Neither had the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, which hosted in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, General Manager Andrew Luther said by email.

Meanwhile, organizers had not reached out to the city of Meridian, city spokesperson Trevor Smith said, and the Nampa Civic Center said it wouldn’t be a good spot for the event because of its size. Star and Garden City representatives confirmed they also do not plan to host the event.

The Ada County Highway District, which would likely be involved in closing roads for any event in Ada County, said it had no emails between the district and Cline from July through early October.

However, Cline does appear to be looking somewhere outside Boise. City spokesperson Maria Ortega said the city hadn’t received an event application, and a public records request seeking emails between Cline and Boise staff from July 1 to Oct. 7 turned up nothing.

Boise faced fallout after the explosion. The parents of the child injured filed a tort claim (a possible precursor to a lawsuit) against Boise, asking for millions. The claim said the city knew the organizers would “fail to abide by the planning documents,” but that Boise “allowed the event to continue despite clear violations.”

It’s unclear what led to the intense detonation, according to previous Statesman reporting, but law enforcement in a report said food trucks, not originally planned for that area, were near the fireworks site. The report said that “blast pressure waves can reflect off solid objects, such as the ground, buildings, etc. When blast pressure waves reflect off objects and collide with other pressure waves, it can magnify the pressure.”

Boise staff, in a City Council presentation, cited a history of issues with the organizers.

Ada County staff ultimately reached out to Boise to get the city’s reports on the Potato Drop, according to emails received via a records request. Those reports were “incredibly helpful,” wrote Helen Baker, the director of Expo Idaho, in one of the emails obtained. “I will need guidance on how to gracefully decline the opportunity.”

No one with Ada County was available for an interview.

When Cline reached out, sharing that he’d found the perfect location, the reaction inside Ada County was jubilant.

“WOOHOO!” Baker wrote in an email. “Whew!!!!” another person wrote.