Wings take flight at Spring Lake park

Fri, Jun 19, 2009

SPRING LAKE — Senior citizens were dancing, clapping and slapping their hands against tables to the tunes of their day — all the while soaking up sunshine and free ice cream at Thursday's Heritage Festival Senior Day activities at the Little Red House adult day care center.

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In the nearby Christ Community Church parking lot, shoppers were bargaining at the festival's flea market — which continues today until 4 p.m.

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Later Thursday, a record crowd arrived for grilled chicken at the Wings on the Water contest at Mill Point Park. The barbecued wings event was scheduled to conclude at 8 p.m., but competitors were running short of poultry shortly after 7 p.m. due to the large crowd.

"We cooked 760 chicken wings just in our booth and we ran out," Heritage Festival Committee member Karla Constantine said.

Constantine and her sisters were members of the amateur division and took first place in the People's Choice awards. Top honors in the restaurant division went to Turk's Inn of Nunica.

"We cooked more than 120 pounds of chicken," said Laura Mastenbrook of Turk's, while standing over a sizzling grill. "This is pretty much the last of it."

Heritage Festival Committee member Michele Yasenak said the attendance for the wings contest was "four to five times better" than they had anticipated.

"We have five restaurants and three amateur contestants," she said. "I want to thank Stan's Bar and Carter Manufacturing (of Grand Haven). Without them, none of this would have been possible."

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Yasenak attributed the large turnout to the waterfront location and the coinciding kickoff concert of the weekly Thursdays at the Point music series at Mill Point Park.

"It's a family friendly atmosphere and we have nice music," she said. "We have local people supporting their community — that's a reason to celebrate."