Parishioners at St. Michael Catholic Church are making final preparations for the 40th Annual Sausage Lovers Festival Sunday, Feb. 16 in the Parish Hall at 318 E. Washington St. in Levelland.
A special pre-festival event is also being planned for Saturday, Feb. 15 at the church.
The sausage festival features a parish-prepared meal featuring homemade German-style link sausage and all the trimmings, including dessert and a drink for $15 per plate. The meal will be served as dine-in or carry-out from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Deliveries will also be available by calling 806-8943362.
Eddie Trevino, chairman of this year’s event, said over the past 40 years the festival has evolved from a church festival to a community event that attracts sausage lovers from across the South Plains area.
“Our parish teams are working this week to prepare a tasty German-style link sausage meal that is the highlight of the festival,” said Trevino. “We will be making 3,500 pounds of sausage this week, along with German-potato salad and other traditional side dishes in preparation for the meal.”
The menu for the meal includes homemade German-style link sausage, German potato salad, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, green beans, fresh rolls, condiments, dessert and iced tea.
A special event for pre-sales of bulk sausage will be held from 12-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 in the Hwy 114 parking lot of the church behind the Parish Hall. Festivities will include live music, sausage wraps, bulk sausage sales and raffle ticket sales. “Here is a chance to sample some of St. Michael’s famous sausage before the dinner on Sunday,” said Trevino. An enclosed tent will be set up for the pre-festival event to accommodate any cold weather.
Also available for purchase will be raffle tickets for a 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Crew Cab truck from Levelland Chevrolet that will be given away at the conclusion of Sunday’s festival. Raffle tickets are also available at the Parish Office on 319 E. Washington St. and from parishioners.
Parishioners are planning to prepare plenty of German-style link sausage that will be sold in bulk for $8 per pound during the festival. A limited amount of breakfast and jalapeno sausage will be prepared and available for sale.
The sausage is prepared using a 100-year-old recipe that belongs to the Kahlich family of Smyer. For more than 20 years, the late Albert Kahlich prepared the seasoning ingredients from his family’s recipe. It has been passed down to his son, Greg, who continues the tradition that has made the sausage prepared by St. Michael parishioners a favorite.
In addition to the dinner, live and silent auctions will be held beginning at 1 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Fresh baked goods will be available for purchase. Musical entertainment is being planned prior to the auctions.
“We want to thank everyone who has supported and attended this amazing event for the past 39 years. From very humble beginnings, the festival has grown into an event that everyone in our parish, Levelland and beyond anticipate,” Trevino said.
For information, contact the St. Michael Parish Office at 806894-2268.