Why is Chicken so Good? Because! Because you’ve made it to the Wayne Chicken Show, so congratulate yourself, since you are now one of the few people to have participated in the World’s Largest Chicken
Why is Chicken so Good? Because! Because you’ve made it to the Wayne Chicken Show, so congratulate yourself, since you are now one of the few people to have participated in the World’s Largest Chicken Dance. Holding its first festival in 1981, Wayne, Nebraska is home to one of the longest running iconic celebrations in the region.
Inspired by the town’s poultry industry, residents of Wayne, Nebraska wanted to create a lighthearted and fun-filled gathering for the community and visitors. So, the Wayne Chicken Show was born, and has become a quirky and beloved annual event that celebrates the chicken in all its humorous and entertaining glory.
Why is chicken so good? Be-cause!
Event goers and parade attendees don themselves in elaborate chicken-themed costumes and march through town creating a colorful and whimsical atmosphere. My husband and I got there just in time to watch the parade, then went inside where the A.C. was to check out the quilt show. After that we walked over to the food truck lineup, and got ourselves a funnel cake.
Being that it was our first Chicken Show, we wanted to experience the parade first, then next year we plan to go to more events. Such as, participating in the World’s Largest Chicken Dance, and watching the Chicken Show Olympics, which is an involved series of chicken-related games. For example, an egg toss, chicken clucking contest and the rubber chicken chuck, where competitors see how far they can throw a rubber chicken.
We went on Saturday morning, and boy were we amused with all the chicken-themed floats, dancers in chicken costumes and kids practicing their clucking. We also had time to go to a planetarium showing at the Fred G. Dale Planetarium located on the Wayne State campus. We learned all about the moon, our sun and when we can see the next eclipse. It was a full half hour of education that my husband and I quite enjoyed.
Don’t chicken out
With a population of just over 5,000, it truly felt like the town of Wayne was out in full support of this unique annual festival. And in the center of all the action is Bressler Park. Setting up within the park perimeter was the entertainment stage, an art and vendor show, a petting zoo, and even a chicken coup full of live chickens, which were surrounded by reporters from Japan! Crazy enough, the Wayne Chicken Show has garnered enough attention worldwide now, that other countries are curious about what Siouxland communities are doing.
So, this might be your que to go to the next Wayne Chicken Show. I know next year I’ll be wearing my chicken earrings and maybe a fancy hat! Follow the festivals Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/waynechickenshow) and website (https://chickenshow.com/) so you don’t miss out on next year’s announcements and updates, and remember to have a “Clucking Good Time!”
