Paczki Day: Crowds devour Polish treats at Milwaukee’s National Bakery

MILWAUKEE --   The bakers at National Bakery and Deli are working around the clock preparing 36,000 paczki to satisfy the sweet tooth of customers on Fat Tuesday.

People lined up outside well before the sun came up, waiting in the cold to be the first ones indulging in the Polish treat on Paczki Day.

Once the doors opened at 6 a.m. the paczki madness began.

Paczki Day is a Polish, Catholic tradition on Fat Tuesday, which started as a way for people to satisfy their sweet tooth before the first day of Lent. Throughout the day there was a line out the door, but the camaraderie and delicious Polish pastries make the wait worth it.