Delmarva Chicken Festival focuses on family fun

There will be lots of free family fun and entertainment, including many special attractions for the children, when the 60th Delmarva Chicken Festival takes place on June 19 and 20 in Centreville, Md. Expected to draw upwards of 25,000 visitors, the festival will take place at the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park located on Maryland Route 18 near Routes 50 and 301, near Centreville.

Leading the kid-friendly attractions is a carnival from Stine Amusements in Elkton, Md. The carnival will offer rides and games with appeal to children of all ages. The carnival will be in operation between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on June 19 and 20.

Along with the carnival, an exciting line-up of entertainment will perform on the festival’s children’s stage, all sponsored by a grant from the Maryland Agriculture Council. Children will want to sing along with Ray Owen and his chicken karaoke and enjoy the kid-friendly music of Tracey Eldridge. There will be dance performances by the Dashiell School of Dance and Robin’s School of Dance, the clown magic of Snippy Doodles and Tiddles, and an awesome show by juggling master Cascading Carlos. Parents will want to join the kids to meet and learn about the creatures of our forests, fields and waterways through Scales and Tales, the Horn Point Touch Tank, Oyster Recovery and a Petting Barn.

Children will delight at watching baby chicks hatch before their eyes and the opportunity of an up-close look at the fluffy chicks after hatching. Additional fun will be found in games and activities operated by local youth groups and a not-to-miss straw maze, all available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Still more excitement is in store on Saturday, June 20, between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. when Chicken Capers takes place on the festival grounds. There will be a chicken scratch, an egg toss, sack race and spoon race, open to ages three years and up. Sherman the Shorebird will strut in from the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury to join in the games and competitive fun. Trophies and prizes will be awarded to all winners.

While the youngsters enjoy their special events, other family members won’t want to miss arts and crafts displays, informational exhibits, an antique car and tractor show and a model train display. Live musical entertainment will be continuous and an abundance of delicious food – including chicken prepared in many ways – will be available on the festival grounds.

Admission is free, making the Delmarva Chicken Festival an affordable outing for the whole family.

The Delmarva Chicken Festival is sponsored annually by Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI) and is being hosted in 2009 by Queen Anne’s County, Md. For more information, contact Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc. (DPI) at 800-878-2449 (302-856-9037) or the Queen Anne’s County Department of Economic Development, Agriculture and Tourism at (410) 758-4418 or (410) 604-2100.