30+ wing flavors vie for people's choice in Lansing

More than 30 flavors of wings will be up for a people's choice award at Adado Riverfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 6, when the Michigan Chicken Wing Festival returns for its 12th year.

Gates open at 2 p.m. each day, according to the festival's website. Admission is free from 2 to 5 p.m. After 5 p.m., adult tickets cost $10. After 7 p.m., the price rises to $15. Children 14 and under get in free with a ticketed adult. Cancer survivors, military members and seniors 65 and older are also admitted free.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Against All Odds Foundation, a Lansing-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 by Shirley M. Carter-Powell, a two-time cancer survivor. The foundation helps cancer survivors cover groceries, prescription co-pays, cell phone bills and transportation to medical appointments, according to the organization's website.

"I am a two-time survivor," Carter-Powell wrote on the foundation's website. "Breast cancer has claimed many lives in my family."

Carter-Powell also runs Lillian's 'A Free Boutique,' which opened in May 2021 inside the Lansing Mall's Best Furniture Outlet wing. The appointment-only store provides personal and home essentials at no cost to individuals and families in need.

The festival's Bobbie Jackson Fund, named for a supporter who died in September 2016 after her fourth bout with cancer, helps cover prescription co-pays, clothing and rides to the doctor for patients still in treatment.

What to expect

Wing-eating contests are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. both days. Entry costs $25, is limited to 10 contestants and requires participants to be 18 or older. Contestants race to eat as many wings as possible in three minutes. The top three then tackle seven hot wings and sit through a five-minute burn with no drinks allowed. Winners take home a trophy and a cash prize.

A line dance contest begins Sunday at 5:10 p.m., with winners announced at 7 p.m.

The music lineup, according to a Lansing City Pulse listing, includes gospel musician Michelle Miller Bell, country-blues-rock band The Split Shifters, Detroit vocalist Denise Davis, Joel Alvarado, DJ Yung and DJ Dazzlin' Dena. The lineup is subject to change.

The festival also features cornhole, a kids' zone with inflatables, a health and wellness pavilion and a VIP beer, wine and spirits tent.

Two VIP packages are available. A $55 tier includes a four-drink punch card, early entry, six wing samples and VIP tent access. It must be purchased in advance online and is restricted to ages 21 and older. A $45 tier offers similar perks with a two-drink punch card and can be bought in advance or at the gate.

Organizers encourage attendees to bring lawn chairs and blankets. General seating is not provided.