They did, apparently, and the community is capitalising on the local talent in the inaugural Ashford Salami Festival on Saturday, October 17.

“We have a lot of people in Ashford that make salami,” 2 Rivers managing director and event organiser Lorrayne Riggs said.

“It’s a strong multicultural background in Ashford, but we’ve had a lot of Italians over the years.”

Lorrayne and assistant Yvette Irwin began totting up all the salami pros in town.

“Bill and Donna, Mario, Wade made it, Scottie, Chantal and that make it,” the women chorused.

“It’s a big wintertime thing around Ashford, that’s what they do,” Yvette added.

Keeping to the theme of salami, pigs feature prominently in about every aspect of the free festival.

2012 Australia’s Got Talent and Tamworth Country Music Festival favourites The Pigs will perform, Noah’s famous Thoroughbred Racing Pigs will keep the punters at the fence, there will be pigs to pet and for those who love the end product, a lot of pork products to sample and take home.

Lorrayne said they had the idea and ran with it.

“We did the Christmas markets last year, and we were talking about what we were going to do this year, and we put in for the multicultural funding, and we weren’t sure if we were going to get it,” she said.

“And the girls said, ‘Let’s just bite the bullet and do it anyway’, so that’s what we did, and the next thing you knew, it’s huge.”

All the activities are part of raising funds for local groups, and boosting the community spirit and profile.

There will be competition for the best in open specialty meats, classic and chilli salami, specialty sausages and the best local salami.

Entries are $5 per entry and must be entered by noon on the day, judging at 2pm and winners announced at 8pm.

The festival will have a market alley, activities for the kids and a global palette of foods to choose from. 

The event is free, from 11am to 10pm at the Ashford Football Oval and Sporting Grounds.