Why a Tiny Michigan Town Once Held a Mass Funeral For 30,000 Pizzas

The Governor of Michigan even delivered a moving eulogy.

Trust me, fact is stranger than fiction with this one! If I told you nearly 30,000 pizzas are buried in northern Michigan would you even believe me?

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Speaking for myself, pizza is staple of my diet, so if I had to throw out nearly 30,000 pizzas like this Michigan man I'd probably hold a funeral too-- no, they weren't Tombstone brand pizzas either.

It was a cold February day in 1973 when local pizza manufacturer Mario Fabbrini, who owned and operated Papa Fabbrini Pizzas, was first contacted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the pies being produced in his Ossineke, Michigan factory.

The FDA suspected a contamination in his factory, particularly with the canned mushrooms that topped his pizzas. Fabbrini told the The Daily Courier,

All I could think was, 'Oh my God. Not me. What if somebody gets sick or dies from this?'

While no illnesses were directly linked to Fabbrini's pizzas the East Palestine, Ohio company that supplied Mario with his mushrooms had a suspected botulism contamination, therefore the FDA ordered Fabbrini to dispose of nearly 30,000 cheese, pepperoni, and mushroom pizzas. Devastating.

Pizza Party

Fabbrini immediately recalled the questionable pies but instead of allowing his reputation and brand to take a hit, he instead came up with a fun PR stunt to make light of his unfortunate circumstances deciding to hold a "funeral" for his pizzas instead.

On March 5, 1973 Fabbrini rounded up his 22 factory employees, a handful of reporters, and local residents to join him in a ceremonial funeral for the sullied pizza pies. Even then-Michigan Governor William Milliken was in attendance and gave a moving homily.

After the pizzas were laid in their final resting place a wreath of red and white carnations was placed by the gravesite; the colors were reportedly chosen to represent the colors of cheese and marinara sauce.

Rest in pizza! Find the complete details on this slice of Michigan history here.