ANNUAL CHICAGO “WING FEST” CELEBRATES 11 YEARS AND
RAISES FUNDS FOR CHICAGO NEIGHBORS UNITED

(CHICAGO, IL) – Sunday, February 28, 2010 marks the eleventh year of the now legendary Chicago WingFest, which will once again be held at the Bailey Auditorium located at 1340 West Washington in Chicago from 1pm to 6pm.

Eleven years ago, a simple design was put into action; invite several of the city’s best chicken wing serving restaurants to a competition to see, once and for all, which restaurant had the best wings in Chicagoland. The response was overwhelming, and attendance at last year’s event was over 2,000 people. “Chicago loves to eat!” was the unanimous thought amongst WingFest event organizers.  Chicago also loves its competition, and the competition and feeding frenzy have combined to form the perfect storm of an event…the perfect chicken wing storm!

And it’s all for a good cause! To date WingFest has raised over $112,000 for various charities, and this year, Chicago Neighbors United [ http://chicnu.org/ ], a community based organization which provides educational scholarships to inner city youth, is happy to be the beneficiary of this top-of-the-line good time.

In eleven years, the ticket price has remained the same:  $24 for general admission.  That price includes all the wings one can eat, live entertainment, a raffle ticket, continuous sponsor giveaways and loads of surprises. There are VIP tickets available for $50 which includes all of the above plus a drink package, parking pass, goody bag, and access to the VIP area.  As this event does sell out each year, event organizers urge those wishing to attend to buy their tickets early.   Tickets may be purchased directly at www.WingFest.net .  Attendees must be 21 and over.

Returning for his eleventh year at WingFest is host and celebrity judge, WXRT’s very own, Lin Brehmer. With his ever present sidekick Chicken-Man pumping the crowd, Lin will be providing the play by play for the “Lord of the Wings” eating contest, (as seen on YouTube), and one of the day’s most talked about highlights.

Besides feasting on the city’s best offering of delectable wings, WingFest ticket holders are also treated to the live music of Cadillac Dave and the Chicago Redhots with special guests Peaches and Rico McFarland [ http://www.myspace.com/cadillacdaveblues ] –  a genuine blues experience that brings an additional element of Chicago into the mix. The entertainment continues as the band plays with live icon portrait paintings on 4 foot by 5 foot canvases by “E” of ArtBeat Live!  [ www.artbeatlive.com ].

 

Among the Restaurants throwing their recipes into the competition are:  Mahoney’s Pub & Grille, Timothy O'Toole's Pub, Wool Street Grill, Crossroads Eatery, Reggie’s, High Dive, Chicago Joe’s, Gators Wing Shack, Jimmy V’s Sports Bar & Grill, District Bar and more, with others joining every day. Organizers plan to have 30 plus restaurants participating in this event. Sponsors include WXRT, Jagermeister, Miller Genuine Draft, Jameson, Tabasco and others.  For more information or to see the every growing list of participating restaurants, please visit www.WingFest.net .

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