SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Sunday marked the last day of the Italian Feast in Springfield. And it’s no Italian celebration without the grease pole competition!
The grease pole competition is a centuries-old Italian tradition. And people got to experience it firsthand at the Italian feast of ‘our lady of Mount Carmel.’
Teams of brave individuals were cheered on as they attempted to climb up a 30 feet high and 22 inch greased pole in hopes of winning prizes at the Italian feast of ‘our lady of Mount Carmel’ in Springfield.
“I’m just so proud to be Italian. This is so wonderful. You know, for all of us. It’s been so long in 20 years since it’s happened,” expressed Patrycia Skala of Springfield.
“It’s really nice to see this be put together again and for a couple of the teams to be able to make it to the top. That was really exciting,” added Ashley Haas of Springfield.
This competition is a test of strength, strategy and determination. As each team forms a human ladder and climbs up each other’s backs hoping to reach the top without slipping.
If you grab the Italian flag at the top you have the chance to take home a cash prize of $1,500 and a variety of foods like meats and cheeses. But it comes down to which team can do it the fastest.
The team Grease Ballers managed to reach the top in just one minute and 26 seconds making them the champions of this competition. “Bunch of blessed fellows given the opportunity to get out and pursue whatever they want.And that’s exactly what we did here today. All of us came up today and we said, we’re going to win. We made the choice. We all decided and we executed. It feels phenomenal,” said competitor Tom Dagenais.
And other teams came close. “We had the stallions, the calories mark, the crusaders, the grease monkeys and they gave valiant efforts. And it’s just great,” said Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno.
And what many may not know is the hard work that goes into making this event possible. Auto repair shop, Specialty Imported in West Springfield were the visionaries behind it. “We went down to Connecticut, bought the pole. We brought it back to the shop, we sanded it, we painted it. We brought it down here on Wednesday. We installed it and funded the prizes that were at the top and then we greased it up,” said Owner of Specialty Imported LLC in West Springfield, Louis Calabrese.
Calabrese says he’s proud to help bring this tradition back and see it be successful once again.
Local News Headlines
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
