ELBERTA, Ala. — It’s time once again to oom pa, pa with this weekend’s Elberta German Sausage Festival.

The all-day event is set for Oct. 26 at Elberta Town Park, located at the center of town on U.S. 98.

The biennial event is a fundraiser for Elberta Volunteer Fire Department that draws more than 25,000 visitors.

According to Elberta Fire Chief Steve Kirkpatrick, Saturday’s event will take place rain or shine.

“The sausage and buns are fresh,” he said, “and we have to use them Saturday.”

In addition, the town’s recent expansion of Elberta Town Park and creation of Centennial Kids Park, have enabled the festival to expand and allow for more than 370 booths.

Admission is free. However, there are fees for concessions, games and some vendors.

Town residents and organizations have also done their part to make sure the town turns out its finest on Saturday. For example John and Kim Conti have decorated all four corners of the main downtown intersection in fall finery. Each angle sports a set of seasonal hay bales, flowers and friendly scarecrows.

But it doesn’t end there. Foley Middle School approached the Town Council in September about its taking over the maintenance of the town sign on the corn of its property on County Road 83. Now, the flower box is bedecked with yellow mums and other fall flowers.

The town signs at either end of U.S. Highway 98 have been refurbished, as well, thanks to Elberta Co-Op.

“We just wanted to give them some color,” said Deena McMullen of Elberta Co-Op.

Now, both are dressed in a variety of fall foliage that the co-op plans to keep maintaining and changing after the festival is long over.

“We just look at this as an opportunity to give back to the community,” said Sam Lincoln of Elberta Co-Op.

It’s that spirit of pride and community that will greet visitors as they come into Elberta for the Oct. 26 festival.