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A ferocious thunderstorm forced an early end to Pasty Fest in Calumet on Saturday.
The parade had just finished, and the street fair was just getting started on Fifth Street when the storm suddenly moved in off Lake Superior a few minutes after noon. Winds gusting past 40 miles per hour dispersed the crowd, and more than an inch of rain soaked volunteers and vendors as they struggled to secure equipment and merchandise. By the time the storm passed, even the Calumet Fire Department was downtown, responding to a call regarding an electrical problem inside the former Keweenaw Chevrolet building.
On the bright side, Mainstreet Calumet Director Leah Polzien said there was a lot of positive feedback about the new format, which moved activities from Agassiz Park to Fifth Street. “I think people are going to like it,” Polzien said, adding that the new layout seemed to be successful in attracting people to Calumet’s central business district.
The crowd also got to meet Linnea Glynne-Rule, who was visiting from Calumet’s sister city of Camborne, in Cornwall, England. She brought official greetings from Camborne’s mayor, and said that the summer festival in their town a couple of weeks ago had also been rained out.
Pasty Bakeoff judging was completed after the storm passed. Carmelita’s Restaurant was honored in the commercial, non-traditional division for their steak fajita pasty. Connie’s Kitchen won for the best Copper Country-style pasty in the commercial division. Dan and Marsha Klein took the honors for the best homemade Copper Country-style pasty.
