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Amy is from Chicopee, Massachusetts, and one thing everyone knows about Chicopee, Massachusetts, is that it was the home of the Worlds (sic) Kielbasa Festival. From its humble beginning in 1974, the Kielbasa Festival grew and became a town tradition for 22 years. It was held in the parking lot behind the now-defunct Fairfield Mall, and highlights included carnival rides and games, polka bands, a kielbasa eating contest (amongst plenty of other Polish foods), and the crowning of Miss Chicopee.
The biggest draw, however, was viewing the King Kielbasa, the world's largest Polish sausage, made by Chicopee Provision Co. each year. It was housed in its own tent, and at its glorious peak in 1994, weighed in at 623 pounds and was 27 feet…
View Full Recipe at A Couple in the Kitchen
%20Kielbasa%20Festival.%20From%20its%20humble%20beginning%20in%201974,%20the%20Kielbasa%20Festival%20grew%20and%20became%20a%20town%20tradition%20for%2022%20years.%20It%20was%20held%20in%20the%20parking%20lot%20behind%20the%20now-defunct%20Fairfield%20Mall,%20and%20highlights%20included%20carnival%20rides%20and%20games,%20polka%20bands,%20a%20kielbasa%20eating%20contest%20(amongst%20plenty%20of%20other%20Polish%20foods),%20and%20the%20crowning%20of%20Miss%20Chicopee.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20biggest%20draw,%20however,%20was%20viewing%20the%20King%20Kielbasa,%20the%20world's%20largest%20Polish%20sausage,%20made%20by%20Chicopee%20Provision%20Co.%20each%20year.%20It%20was%20housed%20in%20its%20own%20tent,%20and%20at%20its%20glorious%20peak%20in%201994,%20weighed%20in%20at%20623%20pounds%20and%20was%2027%20feet%20long.%20Chicopee%20residents,%20Amy%20and%20her%20family%20usually%20among%20them,%20and%20countless%20other%20festival%20patrons%20waited%20in%20line%20to%20wander%20their%20way%20around%20the%20giant%20winding%20kielbasa%20display.%20It%20was%20a%20sight%20to%20see,%20indeed,%20this%20huge,%20smoky%20meat%20product,%20and%20it%20wasn't%20just%20the%20kielbasa%20itself%20(a%20man-made%20wonder),%20but%20all%20those%20people%20paying%20their%20respects%20to%20it.%20The%20king%20of%20all%20sausages.%20The%20Worlds%20(sic)%20Largest%20Kielbasa.%20Alas,%20the%20last%20King%20Kielbasa%20reigned%20in%201995%20and%20after%20that,%20the%20K-Fest%20was%20no%20more...%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E...until%20this%20year,%20when%20%22The%20Kielbasa%20Festival,%20LLC%22%20brought%20back%20Kielbasa%20Fest%202014.%20Held%20at%20Szot%20Park%20this%20weekend,%20the%20K-Fest,%20at%20first,%20seemed%20like%20so%20many%20others%20from%20years%20before.%20It%20offered%20carnival%20rides%20and%20games,%20polka%20bands,%20a%20kielbasa%20eating%20contest%20(amongst%20plenty%20of%20other%20Polish%20foods).%20Some%20places%20were%20doing%20some%20very%20unique%20things%20with%20kielbasa,%20that's%20for%20sure.%20There%20was%20even%20a%20kielbasa%20yakisoba,%20although%20we%20didn't%20try%20it.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWe%20remained%20purists,%20eating%20a%20kielbasa%20dog,%20then%20a%20kielbasa%20and%20pierogi%20plate,%20and%20listening%20to%20a%20polka%20band.%20We%20grabbed%20a%20couple%20of%20Genesee%20Cream%20Ales%20and%20bought%20an%20%22I%20(Heart)%20Kielbasa%22%20t-shirt.%20But%20there%20was%20something%20missing.%20Something%20was%20not%20quite%20right.%20Everything%20seemed%20smaller,%20and%20a%20little%20less%20exciting.%20And%20(oh%20no!),%20there%20was%20no%20King%20Kielbasa.%20It%20was%20a%20bittersweet%20moment,%20that%20realization%20that%20some%20things%20can't%20be%20recreated,%20that%20you%20really%20can't%20go%20home%20again,%20that%20the%20King%20Kielbasa%20remains%20only%20a%20distant%20childhood%20memory.%20We%20browsed%20the%20memorabilia%20tent,%20which%20also%20served%20as%20the%20beer%20garden,%20and%20waxed%20nostalgic%20about%20the%20good%20old%20days.%20Amy%20hummed%20the%20refrain%20from%20the%20Polish%20National%20Anthem%20and%20we%20went%20home,%20full%20but%20a%20little%20unsatisfied.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EViva,%20King%20Kielbasa!!!%3C/p%3E){kind=link}