My Take: Finding joy in the magic of Yale’s Bologna Fest

YALE — My first Bologna Fest was memorable. It was the evening of Saturday, Aug. 1, peak Bologna Fest hours. I had just emerged from the chilly Yale Expositor office to grab a bite to eat when a close friend of mine called me up.

She was — and still is — in Alaska, working at a bee farm and sewing satchels and bags for a local company when she called. She’s an avid concert-goer, a Minnesota state fair veteran, has lived in three states, and has seen her fair share of wacky events. I’d moved from my then-home in Minnesota not four weeks prior, and she was curious what I’d been up to. 

“Well,” I said, wiping double bologna with cheese sandwich crumbs off my face. “I’m at Bologna Fest.” 

I was glad I decided to wear earbuds for this call.

“BOLOGNA FEST?!” she exclaimed. “What the heck, I want to go to Bologna Fest!”

It was at this moment you could say I began to understand the incredulity of where I stood. It’s like all of her years of adventure hadn’t quenched her thirst the way the unique Bologna Fest could.

I had just seen kids huck rings of bologna down Main Street, would soon bask in the glory of the Bologna King and Queen (and the Hot Dog Prince and Princess) with their bling and bologna-themed garments, and observed cats and dogs — and a horse — strut their stuff in hopes of being named the “Most Full of Bologna.”

I’d also meandered around to see, if just glimpses of, a baby crocodile and a tortoise at the park, kids playing nice at the candy scramble, horseshoers, chalk drawings, and “Yale’s Got Talent” (very nice The Fray cover, by the way). I also bought three “Paw Patrol” bucket hats.

My hometown’s annual celebration, Nickel Dickel Day, is a shell of itself. Declining attendance, fewer vendors and tents every year, and sparser conversation each year about its events. 

Kids used to camp out at the parking lot basketball courts to watch the local high school superstars compete with the local dad-hooper cohort. I used to walk to the Kwik Trip with my mom to buy a soda for a nickel. Businesses used to go all out for the annual celebration of our home. But that’s all changed, and it’s not just nostalgia doing the talking.

Taking in the sights and sounds of Bologna Fest, I’d say Yale has it good. The effort put into setting it up, finding outside activities to host, and the interwoven bologna theme is truly remarkable. 

It’s a tradition worth celebrating year after year. 

— Max Kappel is a reporter covering local government and agriculture for The Yale Expositor and is a Report for America corps member. Report for America recruits, places and supports talented journalists in local newsrooms across the United States. Make a tax-deductible donation to support his work and Report for America will match it dollar for dollar. Go to: tinyurl.com/2s372ebu.