Several community service organizations are joining forces in conjunction with the annual sausage tasting at Wolfsen’s Meat & Sausage to present Gustine’s second annual Oktoberfesta Saturday.

The event, sponsored this year by the City of Gustine, is scheduled for noon to 6 p.m. A portion of South Avenue near Wolfsen’s will be cordoned off to accommodate the expanded affair.

Eric Wiedman, Oktoberfesta committee chairman, said the group has been working hard to plan and organize this year’s event. “Local organizations and businesses have been generous in offering their time and services to insure this event runs smoothly,” he said. “We’re excited about it. We expect it to be bigger and better and continue to grow each year.”

The Gustine Oktoberfesta is unique in its hybrid creation, melding the traditional German autumn Oktoberfest with the local traditional Portuguese festas, as reflected in the variety of food and entertainment planned for the day. Bavarian and Portuguese dancers will perform, and the Joe Smiell Band will be performing on stage.

The Gustine Lions Club will be selling foreign and domestic beers and other local organizations will sell tempting treats such as bratwurst, linguica, tri-tip sandwiches, pretzels, ice cream, popcorn and pastries.  The Gustine FFA will have pumpkins for sale, The OLM Parents Club will man bounce houses and  the Miss Gustine court will offer face painting. “It’s a family day out,” Wiedman described. “Visitors are welcome to bring a folding chair and sit while listening to the bands and watching the dancers.”

Offering great music, fabulous food and activities for the entire family, the Gustine Oktoberfesta is the perfect way to experience the German and Portuguese cultural heritage of the area, according to committee member Rick Nagle.

This will be the second year for the Oktoberfesta, however, Wolfsen’s has hosted a sausage tasting annually for about 15 years, according to owners Vance Wolfsen and Donna Cozzitorto. People travel from near and far for the opportunity to sample the 60 different kinds of smoked and fresh sausage featured at the local store. “We are expecting people from all over California to attend,” Wolfsen  noted. He has been receiving emails and phone calls from customers about this year’s tasting.

The cost of  the sausage tasting is $5. Visitors are welcome to sample as much as they want, and they are encouraged to rate their .

Wolfsen’s makes its own specialty sausage from recipes developed in their own kitchen. In addition to making the commonly found varieties, Wolfsen’s is known for unique creations such as Cajun style and Boudin. Almost half of the 60 sausage flavors offered are original creations like the most popular Spicy Hawaiian and the low-fat turkey basil cranberry. “All the cheese flavors are popular and so are some of the real hot ones like jalapeno cilantro and red hots,” Wolfsen mentioned.  “Everyone has their favorite.”

The annual event is so popular the line to get into the tasting room usually wraps around the building. “This year there will be two lines running through to help reduce the wait,” explained Cozzitorto. Most visitors realize that it takes time to go through the room, she said, and they comment that it is worth the wait. “We want people to take their time and enjoy the samples.”

Advice from the owners…..try new flavors, leave the ones you already know you like. “We figured out if you sample every kind we have out for you that day, you would eat close to two pounds of sausage,” Cozzitorto noted.