MARILYN HAGERTY: Grand Forks Sausage Fest began with 15 pounds of meat

• Marilyn Hagerty

Marilyn Hagerty

Talk about it

Dear Shirley,

Without too much fanfare, the fourth annual Sausage Fest was held here in Grand Forks Sunday evening. And a sausage hoagie made by Phil and Suzanne Irwin took first place.

I know because I helped judge along with Kim Holmes, long time chef and owner of Sanders restaurant, and Dave Dunham, who won first place the last two years.

I guess the Sausage Fest committee decided to get rid of Dunham by making him a judge. He told me he learned to cook by watching the food channels and printing out recipes.

In real life, he is an instructor of helicopter flying at the UND School of Aerospace Sciences.

Have you ever heard of a Sausage Fest down there in Tucson, Shirley?

Well, it was a great event with ten entries presented with talks by the contestants. There was everything using sausage from egg rolls to lasagna.

Phil and Suzanne Irwin won first place with their sausage hoagie dish. Tied for second were Erika and Max Kahlhamer with a sausage risotto and Lisa Scott who hand-crafted her pasta for an Italian sausage and ground manicotti creation.

Steph Flyger won third place with Love Triangles made with phyllo dough and using cinnamon and nutmeg for an old world flavor. She is one of the organizers of the event. When the crowd grew too big for her house, they moved the event this year to the home of Ben and Angelicque Dorman.

The Sausage Fest was a delightful evening. And the Sausage Fest people have dreams of growing the event to a larger, citywide celebration.

You know how it got started, Shirley?

Well, it all began four years ago when Max Kahlhamer got 15 pounds of sausage from his mother for his birthday. She lives in the little town of Pierz, Minn., the home of the famous Thielen Meats market.

Well, what would you do with 15 pounds of sausage?

It took his wife Erika to seek out ideas from her girlfriends. And they decided a Sausage Fest would be a grand idea.

Along with sausage, I have been tracking Latin around Grand Forks, Shirley. There’s a history professor, William Caraher, who is passionate about the classic languages.

This afternoon, he wants everyone to come and listen to a public lecture on Bronze Age Greece. It is set for 4 p.m. today in the East Asia Room of Chester Fritz Library.

That’s the thing that’s so nice about living in a university city, Shirley. There are so many interesting events open to the public. Of course, you have to figure out a way to park, and that is often the problem. Especially at the Chester Fritz.

What’s going on at the University of Arizona? I notice they are holding Hispanic Heritage Day Saturday and playing University of Southern California. And they have buses they call Cat Cruisers coming down from Phoenix.

That should be fun. The UND football team is playing Montana State at Bozeman this weekend. Around here, we are still reveling in their win over the University of Montana right here in the Alerus Center Saturday.

Love from your sister Marilyn wondering when the oak tree in the backyard will get cracking and drop all of its leaves.

P.S. I try not to be too grouchy, Shirley, but I have about had it with all of the political ads on television. Even worse are the phone calls that start with a sort of threatening voice of a man saying, “If you are a senior citizen… blah, blah, blah.”

I never listen to the whole thing, but my caller ID shows the calls come from Casselton, N.D. One of these days I will have to figure out how to put a “do not call” order out on that. And once Nov. 6 rolls around we won’t have to listen to any more political commercials.

Reach Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or (701) 772-1055.

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