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Giuseppe the chicken was recently pardoned by Blossburg Mayor Shane Nickerson at a chicken bbq event in Blossburg.

“The only thing that defines springtime in Blossburg is the smell of Sleezy Chicken,” says Mayor Nickerson. “For over 30 years these gentlemen have barbecued over 88,000 chickens. I figure now it’s about time we give one a break. If presidents can pardon turkeys, mayors can pardon chickens.”

The company that started this springtime tradition began in construction as Sleezy Construction. According to crew member, James Tompkins, over time they found themselves barbecuing chickens. It started for fun and morphed into a way to also help bring proceeds to local organizations and non-profits.

“Today we’re doing it for the Baptist church,” says Tompkins. “In the next two weeks, it’ll be somebody else. And we do it almost every two weeks throughout the year, throughout the summer. We do it because it’s fun, to do it together. And we do it because it helps the community.”