Thanks to 2,000 pounds of German sausage, the Uniontown Community Building secured funding for yet another year. 

Uniontown hosted its annual sausage feed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. last Sunday — the 69th consecutive year the town has come together to grill and grub. Julie Hartwig, Uniontown Community Development Association board member, said the event started back in 1954. The event is usually held in person,  but the last two years have been a drive-thru due to the pandemic.

“Usually, it’s an all-you-can-eat meal when we have it in person,” Hartwig said. “When we do the drive-through we do three-quarters pounds of German sausage, mashed potatoes, green beans, applesauce, pickles, a roll and a slice of pie.”

The $15 ticket allowed buyers to choose from a variety of pie selections, including chocolate, coconut cream, pumpkin, cherry, apple and Washington nut pie, Hartwig said. 

Hartwig said this year is believed to be the best-selling year, and each year averages around 1,700 tickets sold. Tickets were either bought in person or via PayPal.

“We received a grant from Inland Northwest Broadcasting for advertising,” Hartwig said. “And then Pullman Radio, we traded tickets for them to give away on air for advertising.”

The sausage feed is volunteer-based, and all of the money raised goes back into the Uniontown Community Building for upkeep, said Brian Bannan, UCDA treasurer. It is the center of the community where people gather, where meetings are held and where kids play.

“It takes a good portion of the town to do; we get older people to help out making sausage, and the kids serve tables drinks and things, and so that’s the fun part,” Bannan said. “The whole town comes out together and works together. People you don’t see during the year, you can count on seeing them at the sausage feed.”

Bannan said that the event is the first Sunday in March every year and sausage preparation begins on the Thursday prior.

“A lot of times, it’s just the local farmers, or retirees or people that can take the morning off to make sausage,” Bannan said. “We make 2,000 pounds of sausage, and we have it all made generally in about four hours.”

Bannan said that several community members have helped over the years, and they have established an effective system that will last for many more years to come.  

“It’s always fun; a lot of people look forward to volunteering, and people have been locked down and were anxious to get out and help,” Hartwig said. “Even the new people that have moved to town, we encourage them [to volunteer]. That’s a good way to get to know community members.”