The fourth Saturday in September is the day marked on the calendar for the 16th Annual Wing Dang Doodle Festival in Forest, and that day is quickly approaching.
After months of planning that began in January, the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce is busy with its final preparations for the 2019 event.
The annual community festival is very popular with local residents as well as visitors from out of town, and has become one of Forest’s staple events. The 16th Annual WDD Festival is Saturday, September 28, at Gaddis Park, and will open at 8:00 a.m.
Members of the Chamber are anticipating a large turnout for this year’s full day of festivities including opening ceremonies, chicken wing cooking contest, live entertainment, talent show, 5K Run/Walk, food and merchandise vendors and community fellowship.
Chamber members have worked diligently to ensure this year’s event will be the best and most visited ever.
The Chamber Board of Directors held its monthly prep meeting on August 12, followed by a planning committee meeting August 16 during which the committee finalized all last minute preparations.
The schedule of events is currently being finalized and will be released in the upcoming weeks.
Forest Area Chamber of Commerce president Melanie Harrison said everyone at the Chamber is in high gear and that September 28 will be here before we know it. “All committee heads met last week and we made final preparations and decisions on everything from the event MC, to entertainment, to the cooking contest and the 5K race,” she said. “Every event the Chamber has hosted this year has gone extremely well. This year’s Women’s Luncheon was the biggest we have ever had, and even though we had multiple weather challenges for the golf tournament, everything turned out great. Now we are in the final phase of getting ready for our biggest event of the year, and we are looking for a great turnout and a wonderful event that everyone can enjoy.”
Prior to the start of the Chamber board meeting on August 12, this year’s bright blue event posters were handed out so they can be distributed to businesses and individuals for display throughout the city and county.
Adding to the excitement during the most recent board meeting was the unveiling of the 2019 WDD t-shirt. Everyone in attendance was excited to get a first glimpse of the new event t-shirts which are now available for purchase at the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce office located inside Forest City Hall.
As the August 12 meeting adjourned, the overall mood of the board appeared to be one of excited anticipation as the date for this year’s event draws closer.
The Wing Dang Doodle Festival is one of the things that makes the City of Forest unique while offering local citizens, and visitors from surrounding areas, the opportunity to come together and wonderful day of entertainment, friendly competition, food, shopping and fellowship.
“Everyone at the Chamber is really excited about this year’s event, and we have really put a lot of hard work and planning into making the 2019 WDD Festival a successful event for everyone to enjoy,” Harrison said. “Our headline musical entertainment will be Anse Rigby, we will also have Southern Thunder playing and I’m excited for my favorite the Terrifically Talented Showcase.”
Forest Mayor Nancy Chambers said the WDD festival is equally important to both the city and its citizens. “The City of Forest is a top-level sponsor of this event because we strongly believe the WDD festival is vitally important to our city,” Chambers explained. “Every small city like Forest needs to have an event like the WDD Festival that brings people together for the simple reason of enjoying the event and each other.”
“Working with the City of Forest is always a wonderful experience, and they provide us with amazing support,” said Forest Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Allyce Lott. “They really go above and beyond to make the WDD a huge success every year and they handle practically all prep at Gaddis Park which helps make this all possible.”
“The work required behind the scenes to put on an event of this size is very demanding,” Chambers said. “It requires great communication, teamwork, hard labor and some logistical magic. Year after year the Chamber of Commerce executes the planning and preparation through strong leadership, and dedicated members who want the very best for our city. The City of Forest proudly recognizes the hard work of the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce for making the annual WDD festival a wonderful reality and great success.”
“This is truly a team effort, and having the WDD Festival each year would not be possible without everyone involved,” Harrison said. “It takes every member and board member of the Chamber working together with the City of Forest to plan, prepare and put on each year’s WDD event. The amazing support we receive from our sponsors and the city makes this event possible and successful. I would like to say ‘thank you’ in advance to all of the event sponsors on board, and to all sponsors that join in to support this event.”
The Chamber is currently accepting event sponsors for the 2019 WDD Festival. In order to meet print deadlines for inclusion on all sponsorship material all sponsors contributions must be received no later than September 2. There are five separate levels of sponsorship (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) from $100 up-to $1,500. Each sponsorship level includes sponsor benefits packages that vary depending upon the level of monetary contribution.
For any additional information about becoming a 2019 WDD Festival sponsor, or if anyone has questions about either sponsorship or the event, you can contact the Forest Area Chamber at 601-469-4332.
