For 68 years, the annual Uniontown Sausage Feed has been a staple to the community.
Road tripping with my co-worker mid-morning on the first Sunday of March to try the famous sausage, I noticed immediately a line of cars. Unlike past years, the Sausage Feed we’re doing a drive-thru to keep both the volunteers and customers safe.
“We really didn’t know what COVID was going to do us,” Lynn Smith, the organizer of the Sausage Feed said. “But we weren’t going to let it stop us from having our event.”
Pulling up to a tent, we paid for our meals and were given a piece of pie. According to Janet Moriah, a volunteer at the pie booth, the most popular pie that people want is lemon meringue. While most of the pies aren’t homemade, the pecan pie offered was made by the town.
We pulled up to the community center and were given our sausage and meal. A three-fourths pound of sausage with a nice bowl of sauerkraut, a spoonful of potatoes, green beans, and a roll—it was well worth the $13.
Smith said the Sausage Feed is an all-you-can-eat buffet, $13 can get you unlimited sausage, and that was popular with the people, according to Brian Bannar, the treasurer of the group.
However, the family-style buffet was unavailable this year. Cars lined up to try the blend of spices and smoked meat. Blended with the potatoes and green beans, it was a dinner fit for a king.
The town had come together for the Sausage Feed, as it is a town tradition. Smith said they were passing the torch to their children when volunteering. At least 250 volunteers, ranging from children to middle schoolers, adults to the elderly, help cook the sausage and other food, package it, take orders and run the food out to the customers with smiles on their faces.
The payoff for the sausage feed is well worth the investment. Banner says that on average, they make $10,000 from the Sausage Feed. That’s enough to keep the community center open for those that need it. Last year, COVID-19 didn’t impact the fundraiser at all, and this year they expect to make the same amount. Banner says a lot of people use the community center, and while they do rent it out, they prefer to keep it cheap so everyone can afford it.
Banner encourages all who couldn’t make it this year to come to the 69th Sausage Feed next year. It’ll be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first Sunday of March.
Ryan Hill can be reached at [email protected] or twitter @RyanHil32959860