…oh, and Grain Belt Nordeast on tap as well as Schell’s Oktoberfest among others… more details below the fold. Sounds like fun!

From the long lines at the sausage carts of Target Field to the cameras of Food Network’s hit TV show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” Kramarczuk’s has proven itself as a local – and national – landmark of quality food. In celebration of its Eastern European heritage, Kramarczuk’s is hosting its first annual Kielbasa Festival Sept. 10-11, which will feature a Kielbasa recipe contest, daily Kielbasa king and queen, live music, souvenirs, beer, and a variety of sausages.

“We are very proud of heritage and our Twin Cities roots, so we wanted to find a way to have fun with our Twin Cities neighbors and say thank you,” said Nick Kramarczuk of Kramarczuk’s. “We are proud to celebrate good food and good tradition with the community members who have remained loyal patrons, friends and family to our shop for many years as well as newcomers”

Each day of the Festival, before the final music act there will be costume contest where a Kielbasa king and queen will be crowned in honor of the first annual Kramarczuk’s Kielbasa Festival. Prior to the event, community members are invited to submit their own ideas for the “ultimate” Kielbasa ingredients. The winner will be awarded a $200 gift card and the honor of having the special Kielbasa served at the first annual Kramarczuk’s Kielbasa Festival Sept. 10-11. Submit your ingredients and explain why you think it’s great in 50 words or less to  HYPERLINK “mailto:sausagecontest@gmail.com” sausagecontest@gmail.com by Saturday, Sept. 4 at midnight.

The Kramarczuk’s Kielbasa Festival will feature a wide variety of sausages and other Eastern European food, Grain Belt Nordeast & European Beer on tap, live, local music and commemorative t-shirts and Adam Turman souvenir Kramarczuk’s Kielbasa Festival prints. The festival will be held Friday, Sept. 10, from 5-10 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 11, from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. at 215 E Hennepin Ave in the parking lot next to Kramarczuk’s in Northeast Minneapolis, rain or shine. Tickets are now on sale at Kramarczuk’s and online for $10, but only a limited supply are available. Attendees receive one free beer and souvenir stein with ticket purchase. Find out more information about the festival at HYPERLINK “http://www.kramarczuk.com”www.kramarczuk.com.

Celebrating Kramarczuk’s Rich History
For more than 50 years, Kramarczuk’s has represented the pinnacle of quality food and taste in European foods and has established itself as one of Minnesota’s most legendary family-owned delis. The Kramarczuk’s story began after Wasyl and Anna Kramarczuk moved from Ukraine to the United States in the 1940s and opened the Kramarczuk Sausage Factory in 1954, producing sausages of Wasyl’s own recipes.

Today, Kramarczuk’s boasts a restaurant offering unique choices from ethnic foods to soups and salads, a bakery featuring breads, pastries and cookies, and a European deli stocked with foreign imports, authentic European candies and more than 40 kinds of Kramarczuk’s famous sausage. In 2010, Kramarczuk’s, a long-time favorite spot of the late Minnesota Twin’s owner Carl Pohlad, became the second local institution to partner with the Minnesota Twins to serve its food at Target Field. On Aug. 30, Kramarczuk’s will be featured as a “family joint” on Food Network’s hit TV show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”