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Potato-salad Kickstarter guy getting ready to host PotatoStock party

Posted at 5:03 PM, Sep 26, 2014
and last updated 2014-09-26 17:19:06-04

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It may have started as a joke, and, it’s ending as a big party.

The Ohio man whose Kickstarter project had a goal of $10  to accomplish his first attempt to make potato salad ended up actually raising $55,492.

Now it is time for 31-year-old web designer Zack Brown to make good on his promise to throw a huge party, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Brown will host  PotatoStock 2014 for this coming Saturday in downtown Columbus. PotatoStock is an all out event, described the Columbus-Dispatch as an “all-ages, charity-minded party featuring bands, food trucks, beer vendors, potato-sack races and — of course — potato salad.”

Brown’s satirical Kickstarter campaign took on a life of its own and attracted worldwide attention as the amount of money raised grew. In the end he had 6,911 backers.

The Idaho Potato Commission and other corporate sponsors donated supplies for Brown and volunteers to whip up 300 pounds of potato salad for the event.

Brown also used some of the money he raised to aid charities fighting hunger and homelessness.

“It has always been my dream to do something that would connect people all over the world,” Brown said. “Did I think that would happen with potato salad? No. But Kickstarter has made my dreams come true.”