Beak Week events begin
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on September 7, 2016 1:46 PM
A wing-eating contest, barbecue cookoff, live music and plenty of activity will fill downtown Goldsboro during the third annual Beak Week Friday and Saturday.
Events will also take place throughout the week, leading up to the main street festival Saturday. A scavenger hunt is underway, a Chicken Chase is planned today and a softball game on Thursday.
The festival has continued to increase in popularity, with 6,000 in attendance a year ago. Nearly 10,000 people are expected this year.
"Beak Week is Goldsboro's annual festival celebrating Wayne County's poultry industry," said Lynn Grantham, Goldsboro Parks and Recreation marketing and special events leader. "Poultry themed events throughout the week culminate in a street festival Saturday.
"Each year, it's becoming more popular. Mount Olive has its Pickle Festival, and New Bern has the MumFest. Our hope is that Beak Week will be as popular as those and people will look forward to it in September."
A weeklong scavenger hunt is already underway and continues through Friday. The hunt includes a search for 19 chicken and turkey cutouts throughout the downtown area. The Arts Council of Wayne County has a clue sheet available on its website, and once of all fowl are found, the sheet can be returned to the council, at 102 N. John St., to be entered into a prize drawing.
Today, a Chicken Chase will allow the public the chance to walk or run in an attempt to chase Beak Week's mascot Goldie. The 6 p.m. event will take place in Herman Park, starting near the Jackson Street entrance. The first 75 participants receive a free T-shirt.
On Thursday, an admission-free Fowl Play softball game between local doctors and lawyers will be held at the Boys and Girls Club on Royall Avenue, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Friday night events start at 6 p.m. and include wing tasting, live music from the Taz Band and a People's Choice award competition in the Cornerstone Commons.
This year, 45 cooking teams will serve up wings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets will be sold for $5 and include 10 wings. The public will get the chance to vote for their favorite wings as part of the People's Choice competition. First, second and third place cash awards will be given to the winners.
"The professional teams will be cooking," Grantham said. "People can go around and sample the wings. Then, they'll choose which one is their favorite, and that's what the People's Choice is based on."
A cornhole tournament is also planned Friday, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be held along the 200 block of South Center Street. The Saturday festival along South Center Street will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will include the Kansas City Barbeque Society cookoff competition.
A total of 45 teams will compete in several categories, including pork, chicken, brisket and ribs, on the grassy lot along South Center Street. KCBS judges will pick the winners, which will receive cash prizes. In total, $20,000 in prizes will be awarded this year.
Festival-goers will be able to watch the competition, but none of the food will be sold, due to KCBS rules, Grantham said.
"A lot of teams are from North Carolina," Grantham said. "We've got some from Tennessee. We've got a couple local teams coming in from Goldsboro that will be in this."
Also on Saturday, 29 food and craft vendors, food trucks and a kid's zone will be set up along South Center Street. A beer garden will be on Chestnut Street, and a fire, police and EMS education zone will be set up at 224 S. Center St.
Live music is planned throughout the day, on two stages at Cornerstone Commons and near the intersection of Center and Chestnut streets. Bands slated to perform include Brad Heller and the Fustics, Samantha Casey and The Bluegrass Jam, the Eric Xavier jazz band and the Blake Kearney Band.
A Heroes Cup cornhole tournament for military, police, fire and EMS teams will start at 11 a.m. along South Center Street.
The popular wing-eating contest, hosted by the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp., will also be held in the Cornerstone Commons, starting at 1:45 p.m. Registrations, at a cost of $20, are being accepted for the contest before the event, including Saturday morning. All contestants must be onsite by 1:30 p.m.
"The contest can accommodate up to 40 participants and features a $100 cash prize for the winner," said Erin Fonseca, Goldsboro promotions coordinator with DGDC.