65th Annual Walt Kammann Sausage Fry Preview
Get your hands on a Kammann sausage this Friday at the Yuma Civic Center from 4-8:30 p.m.
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Jeff Kammann, grandson of Walt Kammann is continuing his grandfather's legacy of his famous Walt Kammann Sausage Fry going into the 65th straight year.
"So originally in 1958, the Yuma Rotary Club had a competition called the 'International Buffet' and so what they did was they had everybody come up with their family recipe," explains Jeff Kammann. "And so my grandfather had the Walt Kammann Sausage, and he had the competition. He won the first year and he won the second year and then he won the third. And everybody was tired of losing to the Walt Kammann sausage. So he decided, let's just have the Walt Kammann Sausage Fry."
Jeff Kammann says it started in a guy's house. Then it got bigger and bigger and it kept morphing, so it moved out to a restaurant. That restaurant's closed now. From there it went to the Yuma Fairgrounds where it was there for 25 years or more and then it got too big for the fairgrounds, which pushed it to the Yuma Civic Convention Center, where it takes place now.
"I literally will cook a ton of sausage, 2,000 pounds. We'll feed about 3,000 people," says Jeff Kammann. "It kind of morphed a little bit even more because it's been around the 50th annual, we decided, oh, let's try something new with a drive-thru. And we really had to go drive-thru only during the covid era, and it kind of lost what was going on inside."
Kamman said this year there will no drive-thru.
It's going back to old times with raffle prizes, bands, face painting, and different kinds of booths, especially Christmas themed.
If you would like a to-go box, you can go inside and grab one.
The tickets are $15 and it gets you two Kammann sausages, dinner roll, salsa, beans, coleslaw and a beverage.
The proceeds go to the Yuma Rotary Club, which are then going right back to the community.
"So we have a scholarship program that we put on. We have a teacher of the year program, we have the student of the month program, and we give back to boys and girls clubs and just all kinds of different stuff," mentions Kammann.
He says his sausage recipe has a touch of spice.
"It's a spicier bratwurst than if you were to just go buy a regular bratwurst in the store," describes Kammann.
Raw sausage will also be available for purchase if you would like to cook it yourself.
The event is Friday December 1 at the Yuma Civic Center from 4:00-8:30 p.m.
You can buy tickets at the door. They will have Square machines available so cash is not required.
