Wings were flying at Lady Spartans softball fundraiser
Steam rises from a fresh batch of frying chicken wings added by Joseph Lewandowski and Tom Rock of End Zone Sports Bar and Grill of Kulpmont.
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - When members of the North Schuylkill Lady Spartans Softball Booster Club thought of having a "Wing Fest" as a fundraiser, they hoped for a successful event. What they got was a sold-out party that had everyone smiling with full stomachs.
The booster club held its first "Wing Fest" Sunday afternoon at the Fountain Springs Country Inn, which included a contest voted on by the patrons as to which of the 10 vendors had the best wings. When the votes were counted, the contest ended in a tie.
"It was down to the wire when we were counting the votes, but the first place tie went to the Friendship Fire Company of Englewood and the Fountain Springs Country Inn," said booster club president Trish Lapotsky.
Lapotsky said 200 tickets were pre-sold, with 187 people attending the fundraiser. Of those, 185 cast ballots, and the results were close across the board. To accommodate the tie win, a second first-place trophy will be provided by Dinn Brothers Trophies, one of the event sponsors.
Other vendors participating in the wing fest were Rob's Six Pack Shack, Shamokin, Chick's Café, Gordon; Wilburton Hose Company No. 1; Frackville Elks Lodge No. 1533; Maroon's Sports Bar and Grill, Pottsville; Good Intent Hose Company, Llewellyn; End Zone Sports Bar and Grill, Kulpmont; and Jack's Spot, Pitman.
Patrons walking into the inn encountered Joseph Lewandowski and Tom Rock of the End Zone Bar deep frying the wings outdoors, taking advantage of the beautiful day.
"They always taste best fresh-cooked," said Lewandowski, who owns the bar with his wife, Ann. As the wings were finished, Lewandowski carried them inside to the bar's serving area.
"They're making the wings outside? That's great," said Lapotsky on learning about the outdoor cooking, and then saw Lewandowski bringing in a batch of wings. "Here he comes now!"
Lapotsky was excited about how the event was going and is looking forward to future wing fests.
"We're hoping to make it a continual thing. This is our first time ever doing this," said Lapotsky. "We've sold out of tickets. It's been great."
Anyone who bought tickets could also take the wings home with them, and it was not unusual to watch people walking out with a few containers of wings. One was Lynn Wetzel, of Ashland, who was happy to support the cause.
"This is an awesome idea," said Wetzel. "I've never been at one so I didn't know what to expect. I will buy a future ticket. And I have enough wings so I won't have to cook for supper."
"We've had great support all around," said Lapotsky. "We have vendors from all over, some local and others from Pottsville, Pitman and Shamokin. The vendors donated all of the wings, and Ray Reichwein donated the use of the inn here for the event."
Lapotsky said the support by sponsors in addition to the vendors has been outstanding.
"We have a lot of raffle items that were donated," she said. "Yuengling donated a mirror. The Reading Phillies donated four tickets, and the Harrisburg Senators donated six tickets. The Heart-and-Home Gift Shop from Ashland donated a gift basket with $100 worth of items. The girls chipped in and we put together our own raffle item for a lottery ticket tree. Payne's Flower Shop in Ashland took the tickets and made it a flower basket centerpiece."
Other sponsors were 84 Lumber, Varano's Warehouse and The Karaoke Krew, which provided the music throughout the afternoon.
The team members were also very busy, working some of the vendors' tables or cleaning up as patrons finished their wings.
Lapotsky said the funds raised go to support the team, with one specific goal in mind.
"Our purpose is that we'd like to have a banquet," said Lapotsky.
"We've never had an official sit-down banquet. We've had picnics in the park, like a pizza party, but we'd like to have a formal banquet where the girls are acknowledged for their hard work, and the parents can attend,They were not able to attend the picnics. We're hoping to have the banquet at the Fountain Springs Country Inn," she added.
Copyright ©2012 The News Item | 707 N. Rock St. | Shamokin, PA 17872 | (570) 644-6397
Privacy Policy | Opinion Posting Policy | About our ads | Questions or comments? Contact Us
Be the first to comment on this article!