Most of the team met at our house, loaded up the truck, and smooshed in to go downtown. I think the veterans must have slept in because there were a lot of open spots. The people one tent over from us looked hardcore with their smokers and elaborate tools. We set up our tent for the first time and got to settling in.
 |
| No fancy banners here - grassroots, baby! |
We got there about 3 hours before the festival started so we had plenty of time to stand around and shiver. Did I mention it was cold? Yeah, we could see our breath. Not the best way to start off.
It was finally almost time and we got to mixing our special, secret Wingy Dingy sauce. And waited for the people to come. And waited for the people to come. I guess they in turn were waiting for the temp to warm up because our first batch got cold and some folks walking by didn't even want them. (Which I thought was odd. Why are you at a wing festival if you don't want to eat some delicious hot wings?)
Finally it started to warm up and people began packing in. And then it turned into a blur.
I have to say, I think our team...
 |
| That's Alfred's kid on our shirts with a face-o-sauce |
Our tent was hopping. My mother- & father-in-law came out! It was great to share that time with them. One of my ladies that lunch stopped by. And tons of friends! There was a moment where I looked around and got all sappy. *Moment* And then it was over because there were wings to pass out.
I really loved peoples' comments as we gave out the wings. The first batch was (PURPOSEFULLY) not that hot. And we got a lot of feedback to kick it up a notch. One person actually told me "It's not kindergarten, it's a hot wing festival". Heh. Alright, buddy. Appreciated & noted.
The next batch we kicked up a good notch.
And people LIKED them.
One guy gave us a large bill and asked if we would just load him up with a bunch. We were out at one point & I told a guy to come back in 10 minutes - worth the wait, & delicious! He said "that was what he had heard" <– My absolute favorite comment. Word was getting around - Wingy Dingy had good wings!
It's judging time before we know it. And then we found out – we made Finals! Top 12 out of 60 teams on our first time out. It was a great day. Our practice paid off. Our wings were different & recognized for their tastiness. We fed strangers & friends alike some good food. And we raised a little over $350 for Ronald McDonald House. Which doesn't seem like a lot. But when you get a dollar here, a dollar there, and some gave no dollars at all, well, it's harder to come by then you'd think.
Big thanks to everyone that stopped by our tent. Thanks to all that gave. BIG thanks to our sponsors. Super-awesome-special recognition to Shelli Ronk for all she did & Mister Company. Trey Thatcher & Burch, Porter, and Johnson. Germantown Lumber. And Johnson Properties. We couldn't have done it without you and all of our friends that lent their taste buds.
Be on the lookout for Team Wingy Dingy 2013!!
No comments:
Post a Comment