There Will Be No Greasy Poles In Gloucester This Summer

Source - The coronavirus has forced the postponement of a Gloucester tradition that is seen by people around the world thanks to social media. The Greasy Pole Contest, part of St. Peter’s Fiesta, won’t happen in June as organizers decided to call off the five-day festival, The Gloucester Daily Times reports.

The annual run for the Italian flag at the end of the slick 40-foot wooden pole has attracted millions of Facebook video views in recent years. The 93-year-old festival also features entertainment, a road race and a boat race.

Organizers told the newspaper that they are considering a make-up date on Sept. 12 and 13 for a scaled-down celebration. They said there’s just too uncertainty about whether it will be safe to hold a gathering at the end of June.

“Nobody on the committee wants to be responsible for an outbreak in the city of Gloucester,” Fiesta Committee member Anthony Cusumano said. “That would be devastating.”

St Peter the patron saint of a fisherman. 

I'm writing this blog for two reasons. The first is so that I can make this joke, "It's about time, I cut greasy poles out of my life once we went into quarantine." 

**Ba Dum Tsss**

Get it? The second reason is that I have an affinity for people from the North Shore. More specifically their accents. There's something about an old-timey working class Boston accent that just gets me going. Everyone in Gloucester sounds like an 18-year-old Jared Carrabis with a mouth full of marbles. Watch any of these videos and you'll understand what I'm talking about...

Advertisement

Shout out to Heidi Wakeman in the second video. I know nothing about her but I like the cut of her jib. She seems like the kind of lady the neighborhood kids are scared of.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no place on earth has more character than Massachusetts. Anyway, sorry about your greasy poles, Gloucester. There's always next year. Have a great weekend, everyone.