After months of planning and preparation, final details are being worked out for the 43rd annual Wayne Chicken Show.
This year's events, following the theme "Ye Olde Chicken Show - Eggscaliber: Are You Worthy to Pull the Sword from the Egg," get underway on Friday, July 7 and continue through Sunday, July 9.
Many of the traditional events will again entertain audiences who flock to Wayne from far and wide, while several new additions have been made to the line-up.
This year's celebration kicks off with a Cluc-tique Sidewalk Market in downtown Wayne from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and a Sidewalk Chalk competition at the Blue Cat Gallery & Studio, located at 114 West Third Street.
The weekly Chamber Coffee will be hosted by the Chicken Show Committee and held in the alley on the west side of the street in the 200 Block of Main.
Art exhibits will be on display at both Ekeko Galleries at 110 Main Street and Blue Cat Gallery & Studio both Friday and Saturday.
Chicken Banjo Puppet Theatre will present a show at the Wayne Public Library at 4:30 p.m.
A Pie & Ice Cream Social, hosted by Eastern Star Chapter #194, will be held at the City Auditorium from 5 to 9 p.m.
One of the new events this year will be Chicken Jousting by 5 Spurs Ranch. It will take place at 6 p.m. in downtown Wayne.
The World's Largest Chicken Dance is set to take place at 6 p.m. at the corner of Second and Main Streets. It will be led by the Wayne State College and Wayne High School Cheer Squads.
Beginning at 6:30 p.m., activities will take place on the Main Stage at Third and Main Streets.
The singing of the National Anthem, a Quilts of Valor presentation, the Cement Chicken Auction, the Saucy Hot Wing Eating Contest will precede the evening's entertainment.
The Flying Chicken Comedy Juggling Show, performed by Ye Olde Feathered Fool (Brad Weston) is set for 8:30 p.m.
The annual Light Up the Sky Fireworks display will be shot from the Summer Sports Complex/Prairie Part at 801 East Fourth Street at 10 p.m. to cap off the Henoween festivities.
Saturday, July 8 events begin bright and early with a 5K/1 mile Chicken Run. It begins at 7 a.m. at Providence Medical Center, located at 1200 Providence Road.
The Piece Makers Quilt Show will again take place in the Masonic Lodge at 10th and Lincoln Streets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a chicken quilt raffled off at 3 p.m.
Downtown events on Saturday include the Kiwanis Omelet Feed from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Second and Main Streets.
Weather permitting, Free Young Eagles Plane Rides will be available at the Wayne Municipal Airport from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Rides will be available to those 8 to 17 years of age with parental consent.
Ye Olde Chicken Show Parade starts at 9:30 a.m. from the corner of First and Main Streets and head north to 10th Street, then west to Bressler Park.
The Wayne County Museum, located at Seventh and Lincoln Streets, will be open for self-guided tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Planetarium shows will be held hourly at the Wayne State Planetarium beginning at noon.
A cornhole tournament will be held at the Wayne County Fairgrounds beginning at 1 p.m.
Activities galore will greet visits at Bressler Park on Saturday.
Throughout the day, inflatables, a petting zoo, arts, crafts and food vendors will be available. Live chickens will be on display, a crowing contest (for chickens) will take place and eggs of all sizes and shapes will be judged.
The Chicken Banjo Puppet Show begins at noon on the stage in the southeast corner of the park and registration will take place during this time frame for the afternoon contests.
The list of activities for the afternoon include a Chicken Scratch for Prizes for children, the Chicken Flying Contest, Chicken Leg judging, the National Cluck Off and the Pizza Hut sponsored Hard Boiled Egg Eating Contest.
Activities then move away from the park and into the street for the Rubber Chicken Chuck, Egg Toss and Egg Drop and Catch.
Also new this year will be Renaissance Games at Dreamer's Place, located at 85726 575th Avenue, which is one and one-half miles north of Bomgaars. The games are being sponsored by 5 Spurs Ranch.
The Wayne Community Schools Foundation will host an All School reunion/dance at the Wayne City Auditorium. The social hour begins at 6 p.m. with a dance starting at 8 p.m. Music will be provided by Sons of Satan. The public is welcome to attend.
The 2023 Chicken Show wraps up on Sunday, July 9 with the Crowing Motors Car Show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Second and Pearl Streets. All vehicles are welcome with prizes awarded by spectator vote.
The Wayne Chicken Show is funded in part by a grant from the Wayne County Convention & Visitor Bureau. Additionally, a number of local businesses and individuals provide monetary and in-kind donations and hundreds of volunteer hours.
For more information, visit www.WayneChickenShow.com.
