One of the best things about summer is the variety of events hosted by the Rock Springs Main Street organization. Sure they do things throughout the year. For example, the Wyoming Chocolate Festival takes place in February, but the summer months typically have a lot more going for them. A favorite event that comes around is the brew festival, which celebrates Wyoming-produced beers.
One thing I have noticed is that Main Street typically hitches the brew fest event with something else. Two years ago it was attached to the Rods and Rails Car Show and last year it was hosted alongside a concert for the Blues and Brews Festival. The Blues and Brews event is popular, with Aug. 14 announced as the date of the 2010 Blues and Brews Festival, however there is something that could be added with a brews and blues festival to make it even better: a sausage festival.
Hosting a sausage festival makes sense on a number of levels, aside from the fact that beer and sausage go well together. First off, there is a sausage that is produced in Rock Springs that locals love so much, they refer to them by the brand name. I’m talking about Kronski’s Sausage. These homemade kielbasa sausages, which are sold at Boschetto’s European Market, have been a part of the local diet for since 1930. Additionally, the sausages are sold throughout the US, according to the Wyoming First Web Site. Having an event centered around sausage would allow newer residents to sample a food Rock Springs has pride in and would help boost sales at Boschetto’s, which is located in the area the Rock Springs Main Street organization focuses its attention.
Moving outside of Rock Springs, it would give R and B Meats an additional platform to show their summer sausages. Located in nearby Green River, R and B Meats make an award-winning buffalo summer sausage along with a variety of other sausages and meat products. A taste-test competition that would attract other sausage producing companies throughout the region, such as the Cody-based Wyoming Buffalo Company or the Cheyenne Steak and Sausage Company would lend additional variety and give the event more appeal to those outside of Sweetwater County.
People love good food, good drink and good music. Adding a sausage festival component to the already existing event would increase its appeal with residents and travelers alike. It would also give people a reason to shop downtown. It’s the kind of idea that shouldn’t go to waste.
