The Everett Sausage Fest began in a rainstorm following another record high in temperature kicking off the Fall season. Just off Everett Ave and Cedar and a jump from the highway, Our Lady Of Perpetual Help could be seen easily by those passing, with carnival rides and food tents erected around the church.

“I don't really eat sausage, but I love going to local festivals and fairs like this one,” said Hilary McGowan, a local radio personality on Everett's community radio station KSER. “Everything feels like it was made by your family and friends, in the best way possible.”

The Everett Sausage Fest brings in families, familiar faces and newbies like us each year who come for more than just a bite of the Bavarian cuisine. A Ferris wheel, food vendors from local restaurants, a miniature roller coaster, pop/dance/country performers and a round, caged, circular ride one child affectionately called “the puker” are all major draws you could see upon entry to the three day event.

At the Dinner Haus near the front of the event, we recent Everett transplants and KSER representatives took our place in line for food and met with volunteer Chair of the Pie House Sharon Lewis, who has been involved with the church and it's annual event for some time now.

“It's the best part of the festival, seeing new people in our community and some you might not have seen in years just having fun or volunteering,” she exclaimed. “The vendors are volunteers and we couldn't do it without their help.”

Sharon's son started attending school at Immaculate Conception across town at Hoyt Avenue, and her time at the festival has continued since his graduation. After handing us a meal of sausage, baked potatoes, sauerkraut and homemade buns, she tells us the event has been happening for more than 40 years and that the best part is that attendance just keeps climbing as the community does.

Outside, a number of tents served more varied food in case sausage wasn't your main thing. The musicians were playing lively covers and originals, the kids were screaming from carnival rides. The whole scene was a real sight from the top of the Ferris wheel in the center of the fest, and this year rain only made a third of the attendance soggy.

Next year I'll come again for the food, and stay for the x-treme bingo and raffle prizes that I missed this time around! To find out more for yourself, check out their website for a list of volunteers and events.

Wade T. Oberlin is a radio personality at 90.7 KSER in Everett. Be sure to check out his show Last Exit on Thursday nights at 10:30 as he takes you on an audio journey through eclectic and obscure music.