Aug9

pasty olympics.

Posted on by
Standard

Historic U.P. town hosting world’s first Pasty Olympics with pasty relay, ‘pasty pull’

 

Pasty Olympics
no competition is too quirky for pasty fest

The annual summer festival, a celebration of the Upper Peninsula’s quintessential cultural cuisine held in the Keweenaw Peninsula village of Calumet, Michigan, is hosting a Pasty Olympics on Aug. 19 from noon to 4 p.m. The zany new competitive event is “probably a world’s first,” according to its website

In addition to the long-running festival’s traditional bake off and pasty eating contest, this year people can vie to win “eternal pasty glory” through an array of Olympic-style competitions that add a strongman-style element to Pasty Fest, “speaking to the history and culture of pasties and the Keweenaw’s copper mining history,” organizers said.

“Expect opening and closing ceremonies and the spirit of competition to prevail!” said Leah Polzien, Main Street Calumet executive director.

One of the new events, the Pasty Relay, involves teams racing to craft a giant pasty — using pool noodles for rolling pins and mops to apply egg wash — with awards for fastest time, most appetizing and best team costumes.

Meanwhile, contestants in the new Pasty Pull are challenged to “harness pure pasty power” in an attempt to pull a truck as fast as possible down a 100-foot track along one of Calumet’s historic streets.

A new Pasty Fest Art Prize competition, featuring two dozen pasty-themed works of art, is already underway. The art includes pasties immortalized in paintings, mixed media, crochet, and even a tiny copper pasty sculpture. Anyone can view the art in the online virtual gallery and vote for their favorites through August 18.

—

“the pasty is the yooper burrito of the upper peninsula.”

-daily mining gazette (said by a naval recruiter in the u..p. in the early 90s)

 

—

credits: emily bingham, mlive, ann arbor news, – phot0- visit keweenaw

Discover more from I didn't have my glasses on....

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

54 responses »

  1. I love Pasties! They became popular with Tin miners in Cornwall as long ago as the 13th century, and are still eaten all over Britain today. The Cornish ones are the tastiest though. :)
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓

  3. OMGosh! That truly sounds like lots of fun! I would personally enjoy the pasty competition using pool noodles has rowing pins and mops to spread butter. Thanks for sharing this!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  17. Hi Beth, I’m wondering if you have read the book “The Women of Copper Country” by Mary Russell..it’s very good! 

    Sent from my iPhone

    <

    div dir=”ltr”>

    <

    blockquote type=”cite”>

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  18. Oops, My comment/question about the book really wasn’t relevant to your post today other than it takes place in the UP. I thought if I replied to the e-mail that you would receive it privately. Regarding the pasties…that’s the first stop we make going over the Mighty Mac! :) I would definitely go to the festival if we weren’t so far away. Are you going? Good excuse to be a Yooper for a couple days! :)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  24. I got to know those deli things in Cornwall and Devon. I think I tried them all. Never ever a disappointment. However, I didn’t know that they too were ‘smuggled’ to these far away places. Which, of course, made perfect sense. I would love to partake in that fun. Sounds like a dream outing! 😍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

Leave a comment