Get famous festival bbq chicken dinner to go this weekend
The World Famous barbecue chicken dinner is always one of the main draws for the Versailles Poultry Days, celebrating 69 years.
Most of this year’s festival has been canceled as a result of ongoing health and safety concerns around the spread of coronavirus.
But a few of the most beloved aspects of the festival, including the chicken dinners, will continue.
The festival, typically held in June, was postponed until Aug. 14-16 and will proceed in a small-scale this weekend with meals to go.
FAMOUS BARBECUE CHICKEN TO GO
Individual chicken dinners will be sold through a drive-thru all weekend while supplies last each day. Event organizers recommend coming early. Festival organizers say they expect to sell 20,000 chicken dinners over the weekend.
Even during traditional festival years, it’s common for these dinners to sell out. What makes this chicken so special? It’s a slow-cooked half of a BBQ chicken basted with a secret blend of spices that falls right off the bone. The chicken is paired with Dayton-famous Mikesells chips, a roll with butter and applesauce, plus an orange-flavored drink.
The dinner costs $8.
Since 1952 this village of fewer than 3,000 people has sold 1,041,685 of these dinners, according to festival organizers. Last year 29,000 dinners were sold.
Individual dinners will be available through the drivethru at Heritage Park, accessible from Klipstine Road in Versailles.
Presale tickets are also available at Johns IGA, Versailles Savings & Loan and Second National in Versailles.
The drive-thru will be accessible for chicken dinner purchases until sold out from 3:30-7 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Presales were also offered for bulk chicken sales for larger gatherings, but those sales have already closed.