The annual St. Anne Sausage Festival is a three-day celebration filled with food, games, live music, rides, a silent auction and activities for the entire family. As our largest annual parish event, the festival helps raise important funds to support St. Anne Church, School, staff and programs for our students.

Festivals have been part of St. Anne’s history for generations. In 1946, parishioners began planning the first Summer Festival, followed by many others over the years. Early celebrations featured booths with handmade items, aprons, dolls, cedar chest items and games of skill, along with pony rides, races, softball games and popular roast beef dinners served with homemade pies.

Many of these early festival picnics were held at Warren Community Park at 13 Mile and Van Dyke, on the site where the GM Tech Center stands today.

In the late 1960s, St. Anne added a new fundraising tradition with the introduction of a festival raffle. As the festival continued to grow, so did the attractions.

By the 1980s, rides had become a major part of the festival experience. Who remembers the Salt and Pepper Shaker or the Round Up? For generations of St. Anne children, a ride bracelet was like a magic ticket to a weekend of fun.

The festival’s familiar logo also became part of the tradition in 1981, when Bob Wilson created its classic design.

Another major addition came in 1984 with the installation of a 3,600-square-foot dance floor beneath an all-weather tent. Decades later, the dance floor remains one of the most popular gathering places during festival evenings.

The game tent has also long been a favorite. From the boxing machine and Yahtzee to the many memorable prizes, generations of festivalgoers have enjoyed the games while helping raise funds to benefit the St. Anne School community.

For more than 21 years, Festival Fun Day has added another special tradition to festival weekend. Hosted by the Madonna Guild, the event brings together St. Anne middle school students and students from special education programs and schools throughout Macomb County for an afternoon of rides, lunch, games and dancing. Festival attractions open early on Friday so these guests can enjoy a memorable VIP experience.

More than 50 years later, the St. Anne Sausage Festival continues to bring together parishioners, school families, alumni, friends and neighbors each fall.

We are grateful to the generations of volunteers, sponsors and supporters who have helped the festival grow from a parish picnic into one of St. Anne’s most cherished community traditions.