Elberta VFD will celebrate sausage at March 25 festival

Elberta VFD will celebrate sausage at March 25 festival
The Elberta Sausage Festival makes its semi-annual return to that South Baldwin hamlet on Saturday, March 25 beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing until 5 p.m. Held in Elberta Town Park just north of the town’s only stop light on Highway 98, the event attracts up to 20,000 revelers, according to organizers.
A 41 year tradition, the festival is a major regional event that attracts a cross section of the community in what has become a reunion type atmosphere. It is also the main revenue source for the area’s volunteer fire department.
Festival fans can enjoy Elberta’s famous German sausage & sauerkraut, plus continuous entertainment for adults and children, and 250 arts & crafts booths. There will also be carnival rides and a full scale Midway.
Of course, there will also be a Bier Garten featuring a large selection of imported and domestic beers.
Other scrumptious foods will include German style filled cabbage, potato salad, goulash, red beans & rice, hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, ice cream, popcorn and peanuts and homemade baked goods.
Blind Joe, Shelby Brown and Midlife Crisis will be playing along with long time participants The Bellview Stumpfiddle Band and the North End Stompers.
Spearheaded by Elberta’s Volunteer Fire Department since 1978, festival proceeds are used for improving not only the fire department, but the town as well.
Additionally, local non-profits benefit from the festival through proceeds from their booth sales and parking lot fees. The festival is held twice a year – on the last Saturday of March and the last Saturday of October. Although it has been tweaked a bit over the years, the original secret recipe for Elberta’s famous sausage is credited to Alfred Stucki, who managed Elberta’s Locker Plant from 1953 until his death in 1973. About 7,000 pounds of German Sausage are consumed at each fest.Our sausage is always made FRESH with premium cuts of meat just a few days before the festival. It is never frozen and we use no preservatives!