There were wings everywhere, of all types and flavors; the garlic parmesan seemed to be getting the best reviews from the crowd. There were four types of beer on tap (at a dollar apiece it was easily the best deal in town) and all of them were ice cold. For another dollar, one could buy a "walking taco": a small bag of Doritos, crushed and covered with meat, cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and salsa, eaten right out of the bag.
The First Annual Carson Station Wing-Off was a crowd-pleaser Saturday afternoon, drawing hundreds for the Carson Station's official grand opening. Vendors did a booming business, while various wing-peddlers offered their wares to a hungry public.
Willie Davison, president of the Great International Chicken Wing Society, was pleased with the turnout. It was nothing, of course, compared to the wing cook-off he does in Reno every year - this summer marked the tenth anniversary of the event - but that's to be expected for the first annual anything.
This year's Reno event drew in 6,000 people, 150 vendors, and required over 20,000 lbs of chicken wings. The Carson City event required considerably less in resources, but nonetheless was a rousing success.
"This event...we've got it down pat now," Davison said. The society supplies everything for the cost of the entrance fee: the booth, baskets to serve wings in, napkins, the EZ-Ups, signage, cooking supplies, and even the chicken wings themselves. All the wing vendor has to bring is themselves and their sauce and spices. "Chicken wings are the number-one hors d'oeuvres in the world," Davison continued, gesturing to the crowd. "With the football season, wings are expensive, but we offer...wings to the vendors at the going rate."
He considers the Society a family business: his granddaughter, at 10 years old, was circulating through the crowd Friday, telling wing vendors that they'd be dealing with her in ten years.
Onstreet Concessions has been participating in the Reno wing event for two years, taking second place on their first year. They are hoping to win Carson City.
"Willie called and asked us to come do [this] with him...I think the world of him, so we came," said Lynn Chapel, owner. The Sparks business does mobile events of all types, serving items such as the illustrious chicken wings, tri-tip, pulled pork sandwiches, corn dogs, and fresh squeezed lemonade.
"We do all of the events except for the rib cookoff," Chapel said of her family business.
On the other end of the spectrum was Redneck Wings, run by friends Tom Palfrey and Rob Maloy. They only do special events for fun and have no established business, but have participated in the wing cookoff for the last four years, taking home two trophies. They are also hoping to win a prize this year.
Later in the afternoon, local band AM/FM Reno took to the stage, their singer Al Reed belting out classic rock. A crowd grew around the stage, dancing and laughing, disappearing in small clusters to go get more chicken wings and beer. Children, meanwhile, were welcome, and there were sodas, smoothies, and lemonade available for them, as well as bouncy houses and a face-painting station.
The trophies will be awarded at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the Carson Station. The public is invited to attend - wings will be available starting at 10 a.m. in the parking lot directly to the north.
For more information about the Great International Chicken Wing Society and their annual cookoffs, visit www.gicws.com.