Sausagefest this Saturday in Charlotte

JJ's Red Hots hosts its third annual Sausagefest 3-7 p.m. Nov. 8, in the parking lot of its 1514 East Blvd. location, with quite the array of housemade sausages. Look for smoked elk sausage with chipotle BBQ sauce; Asian shrimp and pork "dim sum" sausage with spicy blood orange marmalade; traditional Italian sausage with peppers, red wine and basil pesto crema; andouille sausage with housemade slaw and remoulade; and pepper jack cheese bratwurst. Cost is $25, and you get unlimited sausages; craft beer from Unknown Brewing, Olde Meck, NoDa, Triple C, Sugar Creek and more; live music and raffles -- plus a keepsake half-pint glass from Good Bottle. Founder/owner Jonathan Luther (whose band will play) calls the event "a family-friendly, dogs-welcome kind of festival."