Bellaire Sons of Italy Lodge Prepares 3,000 Pounds of Sausage Ahead of Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival
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BELLAIRE -- The Bellaire Sons of Italy Lodge will be preparing all week to sell their popular sausage sandwiches at the Undo's Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival in Wheeling.
President Mike Ault said the lodge prepared about 3,000 pounds of sausage, or 7,200 sausage links, on Tuesday morning.
"The sausage is fresh, handmade and homemade with no preservatives or fillers. It's made with good pork and secret seasoning," Ault said.
He said the seasoning is a family recipe that has remained unchanged for many years. Ault also stated that the lodge prides itself on using the freshest ingredients.
Ault said the Sons of Italy still have a lot more food preparation to do before the festival. He said that buns, peppers and onions for the sandwiches will be arriving this week. The buns must be prepared, and the vegetables will have to be cut up. Ault said volunteers from the lodge will be cutting about 800 pounds of onions on Wednesday.
At the festival, the sausage will be grilled, topped with caramelized onions and peppers and served on a bun.
Ault said the sausage sandwiches are always a big hit at the Italian Festival.
"Some people come just for the Sons of Italy sausages," he said.
Ault added that the Sons of Italy members look forward to the festival every year.
"We appreciate all of the hard work the festival committee puts into it," he said. "The Italian Festival started up in 1983, and the lodge has been involved since then. I'm very proud of our volunteers. We wouldn't have the Sons of Italy without them. I really appreciate how they volunteer their time and expertise."
Ault said that the Sons of Italy will be at a different location at the festival this year.
"We'll be at the corner of 14th Street and Water Street by the civic center," he said, referring to WesBanco Arena.
Ault said the Sons of Italy will be set up there for the entire festival. He noted that the festival committee decided to restore the "Little Italy" section of the festival, meaning that all of the Italian vendors will be in close proximity to one another.
Ault said people can also stop by the Sons of Italy Lodge in Bellaire to purchase the homemade sausages. The Sons of Italy will be selling sausages from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
"People getting up there in age who might not be able to walk around the festival can come here, and we'll be more than happy to accommodate them," Ault said.
Those who come to the lodge can get their sandwiches to go or they can eat them either inside the air-conditioned lodge or use the outdoor seating near the back of the lodge.
The Sons of Italy is located at 3348 Belmont St. in Bellaire.
In addition to their traditional Italian sandwiches, the Sons of Italy will also be selling their new cookbook at the festival for $25 each.
The lodge is a nonprofit organization. Profits made at the festival will support the lodge and its future community events.
The Undo's Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival starts on Friday and runs through Sunday. The festival is located on Water Street in Wheeling and runs from 11th Street to 14th Street including Heritage Port. In addition to food, the festival will feature live music and entertainment.
For more information about the festival, visit italyfest.org or the Undo's Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival Facebook page.