ELBERTA - The bi-annual Elberta Sausage Festival, which takes place on the last Saturday of March and October of each year, is here for its last appearance of 2019! The Sausage Festival opens to the public on Sat., Oct. 26 at 8 a.m. in the town park, at the intersection of Main Street and State Street (County Road 83 and Highway 98), across from Town Hall.

The event features great food including German-style filled cabbage, potato salad, goulash, red beans and rice, hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, ice cream, popcorn, peanuts, and of course, sausage and sauerkraut. Continuous entertainment will be provided for adults and children, with over 200 arts & crafts booths, baked goods, carnival rides, and polka, country, contemporary and German music.

The German Sausage Festival is the town’s largest fundraising event of the year, and is spearheaded by the Elberta Volunteer Fire Department. Funds raised go to the improvement of the fire department and the purchase of equipment and to the town. Non-profit organizations also benefit through booth sales and parking lot fees. The festival used to be only once a year, but with its rising popularity and huge draw of crowds the decision was made to hold it twice a year.

According to the website, approximately 6,000 pounds of German Sausage are sold during each festival, and an estimated 20,000 visitors attend.

If you’re interested in becoming a vendor for future festivals or have any questions about the upcoming festival, check out the website at www.elbertafire.com/sausage-festival or e-mail festival@elbertafire.com.