The Murphree Area had no shortage of sausage Sunday.
About 210 students, alumni and Gainesville residents filled the Murphree Commons Courtyard to enjoy an inflatable obstacle course, live music, a chance to pie residential assistants in the face and, of course, 90 pounds of sausage.
About 380 sausages — including bratwurst, mild Italian and hot Italian — and 30 veggie burgers were served at the ninth annual SausageFest, said Jennifer Becker, a 19-year-old recreation, parks and tourism sophomore and SausageFest co-committee chairwoman.
Because the Inter-Residence Hall Association helped with the cost of the obstacle course, organizers bought more sausages than usual, Becker said. The Murphree Area Council spent about $300.
“The event wasn’t there to raise money,” said Patsy Phillips, MAC residential assistant liaison and a 20-year-old recreation, parks and tourism sophomore. “More so, it was to provide residents with a fun Sunday afternoon full of food, games and, of course, sausages.”
With the smell of sizzling sausages in the fall air, they did. For four hours, attendees ate, challenged each other on the obstacle course and took pictures with a giant hotdog — 20-year-old telecommunication junior Charlene Ochogo, wearing the costume she called “awesome.
The SausageFest tradition started because people decided, “Let us do something that is weird and has a dirty name,” Becker said. It grew from there.
“Now, it’s something fun to build community in our area,” she said.
