Owego Hose Teams, Inc. to host Chicken Wing Eating Contest

Owego Hose Teams, Inc. has teamed up with Bill’s Restaurant to host a chicken wing-eating contest on Thursday, Feb. 22. Located at 53 South Depot St. in Owego, doors will open for the event at 5 p.m., with the contest starting promptly at 7 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Baker Fireman’s Fountain Restoration effort.

Contestants will eat 24 chicken wings in sauce in the quickest time. The registration fee is $25 and includes no cover charge and a competitor t-shirt. 

First prize is one player paid entry into the 2nd Annual Owego Hose Team Memorial Golf Tournament to be held at the Tioga Golf Club on June 2, and valued at $80. Additional prizes for second and third place winners will be awarded.  

There is a 24-contestant limit. The cover charge for non-contestants is $5. DJ Tommy D. of Flat Rat Adventures will be spinning your favorite tunes of today and yesterday. 

Contestants may register online at the hose team website at www.owegohoseteams.com/fundraisers-events/#wing or by emailing to owegohoseteams@gmail.com. 

Owego Hose Teams, Inc. is spearheading the Baker Fireman’s Fountain Restoration. Located in the Village of Owego’s Courthouse Square, the iconic 104-year-old fountain featuring a fireman, holding a baby, was given to the Village of Owego and its firefighters in 1914 by Frank M. Baker as a memorial to his son, George Hobart Baker, who was killed in an automobile accident in 1913. Both men had been members and chief engineers of the Owego Fire Department. The fountain was last restored in 2000 and has again fallen into disrepair. 

The overall cost estimate for the restoration is upwards of $100,000. Repairs that must be made include cement and concrete replacement, cast iron refurbishment, repainting, pipe, and plumbing and pump work, basin liner repair and updated landscaping. For a complete restoration the fountain will have to be disassembled and transported to a conservation facility for treatment.  

The hose team hopes to have the restoration complete this year.