Fire department wins wing-eating contest at Dick’s

Apr. 11, 2013 – (Above) Chicago fire fighters battle chicken wings in a charity fundraising contest Wednesday evening at Dick’s Last Resort in River North. A series of contests narrowed the competitors, each representing either the Chicago Police Department or Chicago Fire Department. In the end, it was Joe Fabianski, second from right in this photo, winning for CFD’s Engine 79 in Chicago’s Edgebrook neighborhood. He won in 2010, too.

At least 300 people attended the event and $25,000 was raised for Starlight Children’s Foundation Midwest, including $10,000 from Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. In 2010, more than $10,000 was raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois.

Radio personality Erich “Mancow” Muller and WCIU’s Aly Bockler emceed the event. Celebrity judges were Joy Cunningham, a judge on the Illinois First District Appellate Court, Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza, Thomas Spoor, executive chef at Horseshoe Casino, WMAQ-TV reporter/anchor Art Norman, and Kari Underly, a butcher, author, and meat industry consultant.

For the effort, winners of two wing-eating competitions, one for quantity and the other for heat, get a trophy for a year and a weekend stay at Palmer House.

The event was previously held at Marina City in 2010, when the Chicago Fire Department won, and in 2011, when the police department won. The wing-eating contest was not held in 2012 due to first responders being needed more urgently for the NATO summit that was held in Chicago last May.

(Below) Dr. Charles Menghini serenades the event on trumpet – and no, “doctor” is not a nickname. He is president of VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. (Click on images to view larger versions.)