Celebrating the Keweenaw’s Signature Food
Pasty Fest celebrated its 20th year in Calumet last week, uniting people across the Keweenaw over the region’s traditional dish: the pasty.
This year was renaissance themed, and attendees of all ages dressed for the occasion. Opening ceremonies at noon were led by CLK Marching Band, MTU Pep Band, and all manners of knights and mages, along with the famous “Cousin Jack” Pasty and human pasty ingredients like carrots and rutabagas.
Volunteers Rebekka and Rachael pose with Cousin Jack. Photo courtesy Lily Venable.
The festival featured medieval roleplay, from smithing to sword fighting, by a local LARPing group. The group is called the Shire of Skerjestrand or Hancock Houghton Regional Rattan Armored Combat and represents the UP chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism (or SCA). According to group member Eleanor McKinney, the group mainly does European historical reenactment from the early prehistoric to late medieval eras, ending around the 16th century.
They hold fight practices down on Hancock’s Quincy Green every Saturday and crafting nights every Thursday.
LARPers conduct swordfighting, smithing, archery, and enjoy pasties. Photos courtesy Lily Venable.
McKinney says the group is an amazing creative outlet.
“I just really enjoy historical fashion. A lot of the research elements of it I found interesting. It’s creative anachronism - melding actual historical elements with people's own creative touches, which creates really fun parts of the society at large because it includes this entire country, but there’s also people that do it internationally… There are groups in China, groups in Australia. So you get to see people’s own creativity and also their cultural touches, which is really, really neat, and I really enjoy it.”
Music was on every corner at the festival, and vendors lined the streets, offering food, cotton candy, face paint crafts, and other wares, while the Calumet Farmers Market happened just a street away. Children enjoyed playing in bubbles pouring from the giant bubble machine, while attendees chased suds that floated down foggy 5th Street.
Kids play in the suds from the bubble machine. Photo courtesy Lily Venable.
East Fork Pasty Company took home this year’s trophy for Best Pasty, receiving the most votes from taste testers and ending Slim’s Cafe’s 3-year-long reign. Competition was fierce, with new and old participants, including Sheboygan Pasty Company, who traveled all the way from Wisconsin to participate.
The pasty eating competition was a tie between Greg “the Pennsylvania Pasty Proprietor” Esser and Lord Brendon the Hungry of Laurium, at 2.5 pasties each. In the face of an eat-off, Lord Brendon ceded, and Esser took home the prize, as well as this year’s pasty-eating glory.
Pasty Fest is a fundraiser for Main Street Calumet, which is run by volunteers. Volunteer Abe Stone says the theme was definitely a hit, and they’re hoping to have a similarly exciting theme for next year.
