RAIN or SHINE, Wingfest is on for this Saturday, September 14th. Grab your lawn chairs and join us for a fantastic time with 19 wing teams, covered stages for the bands and competitions, and plenty of tent space. It’s going to be an amazing day! See you there!

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Smokin’ Hot Wing and Music Fest 2024

Saturday, September 14th, 2024 – Noon to 9:00pm @ American Nitrile

American Nitrile: 3500 Southwest Blvd. Grove City, Ohio

Brought to you by:  American Nitrile 🍗 

Video By UP Creative

Introducing Competing Wing Teams for September 14th, 2024!


Grove City Wing Wizards
Team Emerson
Pellet Prodigies
Hangin’ Wangs
A. DeMarco & Co.
I’d Smoke That!
Old Capital Smokers

 


Two Men and A Cluck
Sloopy’s BBQ Company
Hurtin’ Uranus
Wing Buster’s
Four Horseman
Buffalo Soldiers Wings

 


Marcus Darling International Kitchen
Over the River
Mother Clucking Chicken Coop
Wingz on Wheelz
Third Leg Wings
BW Wings

 

American Nitrile is Proud to Support Veterans.

Veterans, show your military ID and enjoy FREE admission to the Wingfest!

The Columbus Chamber of Commerce is proud to partner with American Nitrile for their Second Annual Smokin’ Hot Wing & Music Fest!

American Nitrile is a 2024 site for American 250-Ohio. They will be commissioning a mural that will be unveiled at Wingfest.

OUR EVENT PARTNERS

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

This year’s Wingfest proceeds benefit South-Western Career Academy and Ghosts of War America – striving to provide immediate assistance to veterans in need.

EVENT PHOTO GALLERY

Join us for a day of fun, music, good food and competition –
where we put our local teams to the test.

Smokin’ Hot Wing & Music Fest is a chance to come together and celebrate our great community and American Nitrile – bringing manufacturing back to the USA, all while supporting great causes – financial support for students in the manufacturing, welding, and hospitality programs at South-Western Career Academy and Ghosts of War America – providing needed assistance to help get veterans off the streets and get them the care they deserve.

At this family-friendly event, you’ll have a blast listening to great music as you enjoy scrumptious wings (place your vote for best tasting wings) while you enjoy an ice-cold beer or some great treats from the food trucks! You’ll laugh watching contestants bob for wings as your friends and family are having fun playing cornhole.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Main Stage – 4 Live Music Entertainers Throughout the Event

11:00 AM VIPs – Early Entrance
11:45AM – 1:00PM Tim Owings/One Man Band
1:00PM – 1:30PM Salute to Our Country & Veterans; Showcasing 250th Celebration Mural; Grove City Color Guard/National Anthem
1:30PM – 3:30PM Stranger / 80’s Band LEARN MORE
2:00PM Bobbing For Wings Challenge (Sign Up at Main Event Table) LEARN MORE
3:30PM – 5:00PM Christopher James
5:00PM Wing Eating Challenge (Sign Up at Main Event Table) LEARN MORE
6:00PM - 9:00PM Reelin’ In The Years
5PM - 5:30PM GRAND CHAMP WING TEAM Announced!
5:30PM Bobbing For Wings – Part II (Sign Up at Main Event Table)

Grove City Mayor Ike Stage

1:00pm – Master of Ceremonies

SIGN UP FOR EVENTS

Wing Smokin’ and Cookin’ Contest

Enter your team of 2-4 people and show off your skills to our panel of judges to become the Second Annual Hot Wing Champions! Money and prizes will be awarded in the categories of Crowd Favorite and Most Original, and the Grand Prize-winning team takes home $1000!

Register Your Wing Team

Fill out the form below to get started!

    Bobbin’ For Wings contest

    It’s like bobbing for apples except with chicken wings and a wagon full of ranch dressing. Put your skills to the test for a chance to win money and prizes, and oh yeah, as many wings as you can eat in two minutes!

    Wing Eating Contest

    Think you have what it takes to grab the grand prize as the ultimate wing eater? Bring your appetite and maybe a bib and some Tums! Money and prizes awarded to the winner for our first annual wing eating champion!

    CELEBRITY JUDGES

    Elvis Merzļikins

    Our Columbus Blue Jackets celebrity judge is Goaltender Elvis Merzļikins!

    Chef Baumberger

    Before becoming the executive chef of The Guild House, Geoff Baumberger discovered his love for food and connection through cooking holiday meals with his family. In high school, a culinary program led him to The Culinary Institute of America.

    During a 2002 externship, Geoff discovered Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR). After graduating in 2003, he worked at various CMR concepts, moved to Ocean Prime in Phoenix in 2008, and returned to CMR in 2015 to open Ocean Prime in New York City. He later served as executive chef at Ocean Prime in Beverly Hills until 2018. Back in Columbus, he worked at Harvey & Ed’s, El Segundo, SoCal Kitchen & Bar, and The Guild House before transitioning to his current role as Regional Chef with CMR Specialty Brands.

    “I enjoy CMR for the diversity of our brand,” says Baumberger.

    Outside the kitchen, Geoff enjoys golfing, snowboarding, and grilling. He always has ice cream in the freezer and chili garlic paste in his kitchen. His family’s most requested meal is Thanksgiving dinner. He can’t wait to taste-teste all the wings at the Wingfest!

    Autumn LeAnn

    Autumn LeAnn is a passionate food enthusiast from Columbus, Ohio. With a background in Baking and Pastry Arts and business, she channels her love for food into creating delightful recipes, food photography, and social media content for various brands and her own blog. She offers her expertise to local and national businesses, helping them enhance their online presence and visual appeal. Connect with Autumn for more on her blog and Instagram.

    Jill Halpin

    Jill Halpin currently serves as the Vice President of Human Resources for Darby Group Companies, Inc. As a 40+ year resident of Buffalo, NY, she considers herself to be a chicken wing expert and can’t wait to bring her finely-tuned wing judging skills to the competition. This is a contest for which she has prepared her entire life. With the taste of her first wing as a young child (always with blue cheese, never ranch), she was hooked. Jill has travelled the world and hasn’t found wings quite like those in Buffalo, so she is eager to see what Columbus, OH brings to the table.

    Tim Hall

    Timmy Hall is the host of The Buckeye Show, weeknights at 6pm. He joined the station in 2012 and instantly fell in love with Columbus. Timmy started his radio journey in Kansas City with a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina before arriving at The Fan. In addition to being nuts about football he’s a college basketball addict. In addition to his work on The Buckeye Show, he hosts Mad About Hoops…The Fan’s only college basketball specific podcast. He is also the longtime host of Ohio State football’s Network postgame show and pre and postgame coverage of Ohio State basketball. Timmy lives in Hilliard with his wife and son. Maybe his greatest love is taking money from Brandon Beam on the golf course! Tim LOVES the Wingfest and getting to taste all the wings!

    Greg Faith

    Greg Faith is a Sales Manager with Summers Rubber Company, and a Wingfest supporter. Summers Rubber Co has been in business since 1949, this is their 75th Anniversary. Greg has been with Summers Rubber for 22 years. He started working in the warehouse as a fabricator for 10 years, then moved into the office doing inside sales and purchasing for 6 years, then moved to Outside sales for 5 years. He is now the Sales Manager for all the Summers Rubber locations. Greg love wings and trying different sauces. Whenever he see a new wing spot, he always stops to try them out. Greg likes to play golf, going to the Guardians, Cavs, Browns and Buckeyes games with his wife and two kids. He is excited for their new location in Columbus and to be a part of Wingfest 2024!

    Kelly Belly

    Kelly Kammann, or Kelly Belly is a long time BBQ enthusiast who started his own BBQ lifestyle channel on YouTube. Kelly Belly creates BBQ videos ranging from how to prepare different meats, teaching various backyard BBQ skills, to his episodic Backyard BBQ for the Soul series. Kelly has lived in central Ohio for 30 years and lives with his family in Powell where he is active volunteering his time with Stockhands – Horses for Healing and making backyard BBQ with friends. You can follow Kelly Belly Backyard BBQ for the Soul on YouTube and Facebook for great BBQ content with a local flair. Kelly Belly not only has a taste for good wings, but he also knows how to make them himself so he has the discriminating eye and taste buds to know what to look for. He’s very excited to be a celebrity judge at this year’s wingfest!

    Check out his YouTube Channel HERE!

    Christine Galvin

    Christine Galvin is the Director of Career Technical Education at South-Western City Schools.  She is very appreciative to American Nitrile for donating a portion of the proceeds from this event to the South-Western Career Academy which will be used to purchase new and updated equipment.  You can check out all of the CTE programs that South-Western offers on the Career Tech website. Outside of work, Christine likes to spend time with her family, travel, and try all the awesome restaurants in the Central Ohio area.  Food is her jam and she is very excited to try all of the wings at the Wing Fest!

    Mikaela Hunt

    Mikaela Hunt is an award-winning journalist that spent nearly 17 years in TV news, and ended up marrying one of her co-workers who has Texas in his blood which means there’s been a lot of BBQ and wings in her life over the last two decades! Mikaela is now the Chief Communications Officer for the Ohio Department of Commerce. She also is the co-host of “What Matters with Mindy & Mikaela,”- a Sunday afternoon radio program on 610 WTVN.

    Mikaela is a 2022 Leadership Ohio graduate and a Business First “40 Under 40” honoree. She lives in the Hilliard area with her Texan husband, two sons, and a miniature dachshund. Mikaela is very excited about this year’s Wingfest and being a celebrity judge!

    Barton Hacker

    Barton Hacker is the president of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade association that represents nonunion, open-shop construction. In additions to representing merit shop contractors at the Ohio Statehouse and in Washington DC, ABC Central Ohio operates the largest non-union, multi-trade adult apprenticeship training program in Central Ohio, and is the curriculum sponsor for more than 40 high schools.

    In his free time, Bart enjoys golf, and working on his classic Mercedes Benz. He has three children at St. Olaf University in Minnesota, the Carter Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Washington DC, and the University of Tennessee, respectively. The latter competes for the Volunteers as a D1 collegiate rugby player.

    Bart eats a lot of wing! His son, (the UT student), dares him to eat the hottest wings every time they get together and every one of his and his son’s birthday celebrations have been over wings. Every time Bart visited last year (six times) he had to take his son and his friends out for, you guessed it, wings and beer. He’s ready to judge the wings, especially the hot ones, this year!

    Eric Vaughan

    Eric Vaughan is the Executive Vice President of Alloy Employer Services based in New Albany Ohio. For over 20 years, Alloy and its predecessors have saved Ohio and National companies millions of dollars in Workers’ Compensation premiums.

    Eric is a Columbus native growing up on the north side of town, but currently resides in the New Albany area. He is a proud father of two adult children. He enjoys most all outdoor activities, live music and of course tasty wings.

    Eric’s excitement for the Wingfest stems from his love for community events and his passion for good food. Wingfest offers a perfect blend of both, bringing together local talent and culinary creativity in a fun and vibrant setting. As a longtime fan of wings, Eric looks forward to sampling and celebrating the diverse flavors and styles showcased at the event. His enthusiasm for Wingfest is matched only by his commitment to supporting local gatherings and enjoying quality time with fellow Grove City and Columbus residents.

    Ed Fleming

    Meet Ed Fleming, celebrity wing judge and the mastermind behind Shepherd Insurance Partners, which he started in 2015 with a mission to support both clients and the local community. As one of Grove City’s largest independent agencies, Shepherd Insurance Partners thrives on the same core values Ed has championed since day one. A dedicated member of the Grove City Area Chamber of Commerce, Ed has previously served as President and remains active on the board and Government Affairs Committee. He’s also involved with the Risk Management Committee for Lifecare Alliance. A lifelong Grove City resident, Ed enjoys life with his wife Katie, their four daughters, son, and two dogs. When he’s not busy with insurance or community work, you can bet he’s excitedly sampling wings preparing for his role as a celebrity judge for Wingfest 2024!

    Purchase VIP Tickets

    $250/each

    • VIP tickets are $250 each – Limited number of tickets being sold.
    • Event t-shirt
    • VIP wristband – special tent & seating next to stage
    • Unlimited wings + 5 drink tickets
    • Early access to event
    • Personal VIP treatment – VIP host will get your drinks
    • Commemorative USA/American Nitrile Wing Tray
    • Email tpabst@americannitrile.com to purchase tickets

    Become a Sponsor

    Contact us to learn more

    EVENT INFORMATION

    Additional parking at Southwest Career Academy – 4750 Big Run South Road, Grove City

    No Coolers
    No Weapons  
    Security / Bag check @event – Backpacks/purses will be checked
    Folding Chairs are allowed

    For more information, contact Tracy Pabst
    614-570-7759  |  tpabst@americannitrile.com