The Association for the Preservation of Geneseo is hosting the First Annual Wing Fest Saturday Sept. 13. Wing Fest will be at Geneseo Village Park from 12-3 p.m. and will feature wings from different Geneseo vendors such as Village Tavern, Mama Mia’s, The Statesmen and Campus Auxiliary Services. Attendees pay $10 and get to sample wings from each vendor. According to APOG intern and Wing Fest coordinator junior Erika Portelli, attendees will vote for their favorite wing and the vendor with the most votes will be crowned as having the “Best Wings in the Valley.”
“It took a while to gather up all the vendors,” Portelli said. “We wanted places that we heard do wings in the area. We even went to Mount Morris, but we decided to stay with local places and favorites. The Village Tavern is also supplying beer; it’s going to be like a beer garden. That should draw a lot of people in.”
For an additional $5, people can participate in a wing-eating contest. APOG intern junior Beverly Hirschmann said that a maximum of 25 people can participate and competitors will be grouped by weight. The event will also include performances by bands Red Kettle and Soft Cough along with the Geneseo Bhangra team.
All the proceeds are going to APOG, which will use the money to continue funding the “Save the Wall” project.
According to information Portelli received from sociology professor and APOG board member Kurt Cylke, the mile-long wall was built in the 19th century and consists of over a million stones.
Members of the board and community worked on the wall every Saturday for three years, hitting the halfway mark with the six-year project.
“So far, the community has raised over $20,000 for the project, which includes a lot of donations from alumni and Geneseo residents. Operating expenses for materials is about $10,000 every year, so it’s pretty expensive to build. Since it’s all volunteer, they really rely on fundraising,” Portelli said.
Along with a third intern Sarah Christ, Portelli and Hirschmann spent last semester preparing for the upcoming Wing Fest. Their goal is to raise between $2,500 and $3,000 and serve around 600 people.
“We hope it will be a good event to bring the community and students together,” Hirschmann said.
Tickets for the event can be purchased online at geneseoapog.com or at Main Street locations including Not Dot Shop, Frugal Fashionista, Nothnagle Relators, Touch of Grayce and The Statesmen.