Annually on the first Thursday of December since 2010, The Cheese Shop of Concord has taken delivery of a gigantic wheel of Crucolo cheese, imported from a tiny hill town in northern Italy.
And each year, the festivities surrounding the cheese’s arrival in Concord, Massachusetts, have grown to include more and more segments of the town’s population. From students to selectmen; from merchants to the merely curious. But one thing is certain: No one can resist a cheese parade.
Beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 1 at the intersection of Main and Walden streets in this historic town’s center, the colorful and boisterous parade provides Concord and its visitors with a half hour of old fashioned fun and unity.
A team of draft horses and a cart haul the cheese down the street, accompanied by the blare of brass instruments and scores of high-spirited dancers from nearby Concord Academy, while the crowd cheers and waves Italian flags.
After a brief round of speeches, echoed Occupy-Wall-Street style, the cheese is ceremoniously halved and quartered on a raised stage for all to watch, and is sampled among the crowd.
Amazingly, the cheese – a mild asiago fresco made from cow’s milk — is sold by the pound and generally sells out in less than 14 days.
NOTE: For 2016, Concord’s Colonial Inn is offering a Crucolo Day Package to anyone who’d care to expand their parade viewing experience into an overnight. It includes a great rate, some local beers, and a half pound of Crucolo cheese.
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