Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Since 1952, organizers have served over 1.2 million chicken dinners with plans to sell at least 40,000 dinners this year to cement their place as the “World’s Largest Chicken Barbecue.”
Two semi-loads of chicken have been ordered and as many as 16,000 halves will be cooked in a single day. Last year, the festival served 39,400 dinners.
“The chicken is made with a secret blend of spices, which isn’t a dry rub or a heavy tomato base,” the festival’s website states. “Each dinner contains half of a chicken that has been slow cooked over charcoal for two hours while being basted in that secret blend every few minutes. The cooking process leaves the chicken moist and nearly falling off the bone.”
Each dinner costs $12 and includes half a chicken, potato chips, a roll with butter, applesauce and an orange drink. The drive-thru and walk-thru chicken lines open at 3:30 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. Sunday.
Those that pre-purchased bulk coolers of chicken should pick it up at 280 Marker Road. Individual dinners will not be served in the bulk pick-up line.
Other food items that have become widely popular at the festival include the pit potato and hand-squeezed lemonade from the Versailles Area Pride and Progress Association. These will be available starting at 4 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday and Sunday.
Festivalgoers can expect entertainment throughout the weekend with twenty individual artists, duos and groups performing across four stages.
Other activities include a Little Miss Poultry Days contest, 5k run/walk, book sale, ultimate frisbee tournament, parade, petting zoo, family fun zone, flag raising ceremony, car show, corn hole tournament, dunk tank, kiddie tractor pull, bingo, baseball and softball contest, chicken eating contest and more.
For more information and a schedule of events, visit versaillespoultrydays.com or the festival’s Facebook (@versailles.poultrydays) or Instagram (@poultrydays) pages.
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