Secret sausage and sauerkraut on today’s menu

UNIONTOWN — For the first time since the pandemic, the tables inside the Uniontown Community Building will be packed with people today.

The Uniontown Sausage Feed has been a town staple for more than seven decades and never missed a beat during COVID, but this year folks can sit inside and visit while dining on the famous secret sausage recipe, sauerkraut and multiple side dishes.

All hands were on deck Saturday as volunteers prepared for a large turnout to help fund the “heartbeat of the community,” said Lynn Smith, who organizes the kitchen crew and more than 300 helpers.

Between the pandemic, building issues, and her daughter’s spring wedding, Smith, 53, said it took some time and effort to resume in-person dining. But it all came together in 2025, and now multiple tables have been set in the basement and gymnasium for the feed.

“It was a lot of work to get back to this point,” Smith said Saturday while overseeing the preparations. “We had to get our ducks back in a row.”

Lifelong resident Kenny Oenning, 81, has been volunteering at the sausage feed since day one. He was in grade school when the tradition began, and is pretty sure that was in 1954.

“We were luckier than a cat’s meow in 2020,” Oenning said. “Our feed was right before everything shut down because of COVID. Then we ran this thing for four years with to-go boxes.”

Long before rural schools started consolidating, thriving farming communities in this region have gathered to support good causes. In Uniontown’s case, the proceeds keep the community center in operation.

“This place is the heartbeat of the community,” Smith said. “You can do everything here.”

The long list of activities includes exercise classes, fundraisers, a crab feed, weddings, funerals, meetings and basketball practice. The brick building on the main street through town is available for rent at reasonable prices, and features a commercial kitchen, she said.

“This building has been a godsend,” Oenning said. “And that’s why we work so hard to keep it.”

The kitchen and its five ovens were getting a workout on Saturday, and the action will continue today. A ton of smoked sausage will be roasting this morning and then browned in the ovens for its popular “toasty and tasty” flavor.

“You can’t have sausage without sauerkraut,” said Heather Dixon, a 59-year-old Uniontown resident. “We are lucky to have so many people helping us. Clarkston High School always sends its Junior ROTC members, and they really work hard.”

As for the menu, Oenning said it’s nobody’s business what goes into the secret sausage recipe, and the exact ingredients shall remain a mystery.

“The recipe is buried under a rock in the middle of a wheat field,” joked Jim Barry, 65, of Uniontown. “We only get it out once a year.”

Because the food is so popular and the doors are open again, the volunteers are anticipating a good response. A bus from a Pullman Senior Center is coming, and about 60 people have already ordered to-go plates.

“This year could be a blowout,” Oenning said, “especially if it’s nice weather.”

The all-you-can eat sausage feed starts at 10 and will continue until the food runs out or 5 p.m., whichever comes first. If you miss out, the event is always held on the first Sunday of March, and organizers plan to keep it going for many more years.

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com.

If you go:

What: Uniontown Sausage Feed

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today

Where: Uniontown Community Building, 205 S. Montgomery St.

Menu: Sausage, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, green beans, applesauce, rolls and pie.

Cost: $18 for adults, $10 for kids ages 6 to 12, $3 for kids under 6, cash or check only. To-go orders available, and tickets can be purchased at the door.