GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The City of Gainesville, Ga., recently held its 20th annual Gainesville Chicken Festival, a fun, family-friendly event centered around chicken. The main attraction for the festival is the cook-off, where teams from all over the state come to compete.
For the chicken cooking competition, some 17,000 pounds of wings, drumsticks, legs and thighs were grilled, fried, barbecued, and more, by the 17 different teams on hand at Lake Lanier Olympic Park.
“The Gainesville Chicken Festival is one of our favorite – and tastiest – events at Lake Lanier Olympic Park,” Morgan Wingler, LLOP Tower/Plaza special events manager, said in an announcement. “The planning committee has been hard at work since summer to ensure attendees not only get a taste of chicken … but a taste of true Southern hospitality dished out by the ‘Hospitality Capital of the World.’”
In addition to the cook-off, the festival is a scholarship fund for students pursuing a degree in poultry science or a related agricultural degree. All the profits from the festival go towards the scholarship.
The festival also includes fun games and activities for all ages, like the wing eating contest, egg spoon race, and the “What Came First?” race.
The festival ended with an award ceremony where teams received awards in different categories, with a professional and backyard distinction.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, specialty awards were also given to the teams. These awards were “Best Dressed,” “Best Nest,” and “Rooster Royalty.”
In the end, the Gainesville Fire Department won the People’s Choice award, but Peckerwood Country Club were the grand champions. Peckerwood is now back-to-back grand champion winners after winning last year as well.
