Wing festival takes flight

Chicken wings.

One. Million. Chicken wings.

That's how many hot sauce-covered meat lovers' delights have been devoured in the short history of the National Buffalo Wing Festival. And as the annual event celebrated its fourth birthday this weekend and served its millionth wing, all signs indicated there should still be millions more to come.

For three days, the outfield grass of Dunn Tire Park found itself packed with people from across the country. Whether they were giving their own taste tests at the 23 different chicken wing stands or enjoying the entertainment, few attendees found a dull moment at the festival.

Highlighting the weekend was Eric "Badlands" Booker, who won the national chicken wing-eating contest with nearly 140 wings in 12 minutes.

As the new champ paraded around the grounds, people stopping him to take pictures next to his massive wing-consuming body, the crowd was already dropping their jaws at the next event -- bobbing for wings in a tub of blue cheese.

Restaurants and sauce companies from as far as Texas and Colorado joined local vendors in competing for a number of best-wing titles.

"For food service people, the success of the party is the pinnacle of the events," said Peter Chiavetta of Chiavetta's Catering. "We're here for the people."

Joe Martin of Wingman, based in Denver, Colo., made the 26 hour, 1,800 mile drive from Denver and spent about $3,000 to participate in the festival.

Wingman was invited to the festival in 2002 because they were rumored to have some of the best wings in the country. Martin said he likes to stay humble and let the festival-goers decide.

"Let them take a poll at the gate. Some say we're the best. Just let the people decide," Martin said.

Paul DiBello, who came from Granby, Colo., to pitch his Captain Spongefoot chicken wings, was hardly as modest, boasting the best sauce you have ever tasted.

"People from Buffalo think that they're the only ones that know anything about chicken wings," said DiBello. "It's just that Buffalo has the chicken, Colorado has the Buffalo."

DiBello challenged Duffs, a local favorite and festival absentee, to a sauce competition.

"We don't make any profit here, we come back to support Buffalo," DiBello said.

If there was one sauce that stood out not only because of its taste, but also for its story, it was that of Arnette Rauh, who has become a local favorite for her "Sierra Sauce."

She brings this sauce to the festival and sells it out of love for her granddaughter, Sierra, who has Sturge-Weber Syndrome, an ocular disease that causes blindness. Rauh has taken home trophies in 2002 and 2003 for creativity and all of the proceeds go to the Sturge Webber Foundation.

Some people may ask if it's really okay to hold a mammoth food festival -- complete with face-stuffing competitions, both sanctioned and otherwise -- while there are thousands of newly homeless people starving in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Drew Cerza, the "Wing King" and founder of the festival, says that yes, it is okay, because the festival isn't only for profit.

Along with the thousands of dollars that the Wing Festival traditionally donates to charities such as Meals on Wheels, Make a Wish, Big Brother/Big Sister, and Americorps, an extra $5,000 check was written to the American Red Cross to help with the disaster relief effort.

"Along with the great time were having, we want to be cognizant of the tragedy and tough times they are going through," Cerza said.

With that in mind, the festival was still about having a good time.

"It's not so much about the numbers to us, it's about the smiles," Cerza said. "My vision for this festival was to get great publicity for Buffalo and to bring people and money in from out of town."

"Badlands" Booker, who won the chicken wing-eating contest, said "there's nothing like the Buffalo Wing Festival. These people are beautiful. Who doesn't love Buffalo?"