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Poultry Days moves to Heritage Park
Poultry Days 2020 will be held in Heritage Park! The Health
Department has approved holding the festival subject to adhering to a
safety plan and the county remaining healthy. The festival
which will be held August 14-16th will utilize the amphitheater for
entertainment and cars will enter the chicken drive thru from Klipstine
Road. This will be the first time the festival has been held in a
different location in over sixty years. The park, which is owned
by Poultry Days was originally envisioned as site for the festival but
that never occurred because Ultimate Frisbee Tournament normally use
the park during the festival. The festival plans to return to
South Center street next year.
The park provides 40 acres to disperse carnival rides, and other
attractions. Protocols have been established with the Darke
County Health Dept to ensure the safety of our visitors. Masks
will not be required but visitors will be encouraged to practice social
distancing, use wash stations and follow guidelines. We thank the
Health Dept for their support.
We understand that many people are eager to get out of the house.
Poultry Days might look different this year but your safety matters. We
also understand that many people aren’t comfortable with large
groups. That does not mean you can’t enjoy Poultry Days.
The festival weekend always includes small gatherings. Many may
want to spend the weekend at the camper or maybe a picnic at the
lake. Our bulk chicken option allows you to pick up a cooler of
chicken in the drive through and have your own gathering.
Chicken sales have begun with a flurry with over 2,000 halves sold and
another 100 selling daily. We have received a large volume of
questions about 2020 chicken sales. First, the festival intends
to sell our traditional individual dinners and will not rely entirely
on presale. Individual dinner prices remain at $8.00 for 2020 and
include half a chicken, applesauce, chips, roll, butter, and orange
drink. Tickets can be purchased at Versailles S&L, Johns IGA
or the Versailles branch of Second National Bank. Tickets will
also be on sale the weekend of the festival. Sales begin at 3:30
Friday, 11:30 Saturday and 11:00 Sunday. We strive to serve
dinners through supper but don’t be late. Demand is unpredictable
and we can run out sooner.
Purchase 20 halves (chicken only) for $130 online at
versaillespoultrydays.com. Chicken is taken directly off the
cookers and placed in a metal caterer’s pan which is then placed in a
Styrofoam cooler. The chicken can remain hot for up to 5 hours if
unopened. All orders for bulk chicken must be placed by July 27th.
FREE delivery of chicken on Friday August 14th is also available.
If you purchase two or more coolers of chicken, they will be delivered
with 25 miles of Versailles by noon on Friday, August 14th at no
additional cost. This option is only available on August
14th. FREE delivery includes Greenville, Troy, Sidney, Minster,
New Bremen and Piqua!
Both the Miss Chick and Little Miss Pageants will be held at the old
high school. Unfortunately, we were unable to hold the Grand or Antique
Car parades this year. Both carnival rides and the YOLO 5K
have also been approved to be held. Presale ride tickets will go
on sale soon. There will be no change or location or route for
the 5K. Registration information for the 5K can be found at
yoloorg.com.
Registration for Miss Chick continues at
versaillespoultrydays.com. First prize is $1,000 and a lifetime
title of “Miss Chick”. Prizes are also awarded for the 1st and
2nd runners up. Contestants do not need to be from Versailles or
even Darke County. Contestants may reside in any contiguous
county including Miami, Mercer, Montgomery, Shelby, Auglaize, Preble,
Jay, Randolph and Wayne. Contestants must be female and 16 years
of age by the day of the contest, and no older than 19 years of age
(Limited to graduating high school seniors of the class of 2020.)
Registration for Little Miss Poultry Days is closed. Organizers
of both pageants are developing procedures to maintain safety.
Don’t let COVID take away the best parts of summer. Established
in 1952 and supporting summer fun for 69 years. We would be happy
to answer any questions about the chicken at
vpdchickenline@gmail.com. Heritage Park is located at 10200
Klipstine Road in Versailles. Additional festival details can be
found at versaillespoultrydays.com or follow us on Facebook. Stay
healthy Darke County!
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