Big Things Small Towns goes to Mundare to learn about the giant sausage that kept the town’s spirits up.
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It’s one of the most hilarious and misunderstood monuments in the world, and it’s not hard to see why. The Mundare sausage is 42 feet tall and has been overlooking the small town of Mundare, Alta. since its erection nearly 20 years ago.
Dubbed by the locals as the “Giant Turd,” the towering monument isn’t just a piece of fibreglass glory - it’s a representation of the community’s foundation and culture. The piece is a tribute to Stawnichy's Meat Processing, a family-run sausage factory famous for its kielbasa.
“We erected the sausage to reflect how important food is to Ukrainian culture,” says Kyler Zeleny, great-grandson of founder Woytko Stawniczy.
“Small towns especially are trying to figure out a way to stand out. One of the ways that they can stand out is by pointing to a specific type of history, culture, tradition, object, and making that the symbol of the community as a way to signal difference from all the surrounding communities around.”
And stand out it does. Watch the episode above and see how this town's sausage is able to make ends “meat.”
Follow Tamarra Canu on a Prairie road trip across Alberta and Saskatchewan as she continues her search for the origin of the bizarre gargantuan art within small town communities on Season 2 of Big Things Small Towns.
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