Tussey Mountain is busy preparing for another summer of WingFest, a unique event that offers plenty to do whether or not you’re a chicken wing connoisseur.
Part competition, part music festival, WingFest has become a staple of summertime for Centre County residents and visitors. And while the popular event is poised to be bigger than ever this year, it has gone through several evolutions since its humble origins more than two decades ago.
“WingFest just started out as a small party on the patio of the lodge with music and wings and other food and it’s really evolved over the years into something different,” says Aaron Weyman, director of marketing and recreation for the Tussey Mountain Ski Area.
“It’s just grown into a much bigger thing. We went from the patio to a stage on the amphitheater, and it used to be on just one of our ski slopes but now it’s moved to two. Up to 4,000 people come out on a Thursday night.”
Beginning on June 19, Tussey kicks off the eight-week long festival that features a host of vendors offering up their best wing sauces, and while they’re all worthy competitors, by the end of the summer only one will be crowned the champion.
How does the competition work? Every attendee gets a chance to advocate for their favorite via the vote ticket that comes with their paid admission. After trying a selection of wings, attendees can vote for which vendor they believe should move on to the next round. Each week some are eliminated from the competition until the final night where the ultimate winner receives a trophy that they get to keep until next year’s WingFest.
Tussey strives to ensure WingFest strikes a nice balance between a fun, community event, and a serious contest so that both competitors and attendees can take it as seriously (or not) as they want.
“It can get very competitive out here,” Weyman explains. “Some restaurants come out and just have fun, but others take it very seriously and obviously want to win. We do have some rules established that we go over with these competitors; we don’t want anyone to feel like they are at an unfair disadvantage.”
All competitors are on a level playing field when it comes to the wings — those are provided by Tussey. Where each vendor gets a chance to shine and standout is with the wing sauce they make. And with more than 30 competitors joining the fray each year, guests can expect a unique lineup of sauces.
“We open up the competition to anybody with a certificate of liability insurance that has a kitchen and wants to compete,” says Weyman. “Many places reach out to us because they want to participate. Sometimes we reach out to them, but they have a lot of fun with it. We do have some unconventional places like Juniper Village or Sweet Tooth Bakery and some others that don’t serve wings.”
Katie Mannino, executive director of Juniper Village at Brookline, revealed that part of the decision to participate in WingFest was to help breakdown stereotypes about senior living communities.
“Senior housing isn’t about bingo and bible study, we offer those things, but it’s so much more. Senior living is thriving environment, offering a variety of experiences including opportunities for education, musical theater, arts and pottery, painting, travel and robust menu offerings including wings and sauces that are designed to ignite the taste buds of our residents,” says Mannino. “WingFest provided us with the stage to make it happen. We are so grateful to have been able to compete with some of the best chefs and kitchens in Happy Valley, and we are excited to see who makes it to the mountain this year.”
Juniper Village has been participating in WingFest since 2019, and they even took home the first place trophy in 2022 and 2023. They’re planning to take a year off, but attendees can look forward to seeing them in a future competition.
“We had a great run and will use this year to reinvent our style and flavors,” Mannino explains. “We hope to be back in the game again in 2026. We plan to show up and support any of our fellow senior living communities that may participate in 2025.”
Sweet Tooth Bakery also got involved with WingFest a few years ago with dessert style sauces that offer an unexpected twist on the classic chicken wing. Devin Christian from Sweet Tooth Bakery explained that they go back to the drawing board each year to experiment and invent new sauces.
“Typically we will come up with three to five ideas. Try to make it. Taste. Then get back to the kitchen to make it slightly better with some variations of that one flavor. Usually in the past we would keep two sauces, which is our Monkey Bread and Blueberry BBQ. They have been very popular with our fans each year.”
Sweet Tooth was the runner up at last year’s competition, and they plan to come back strong in 2025.
“We have discussed not bringing back any of our previous sauces. We might go with a theme this year,” clarifies Christian. “The theme that was tossed around was breakfast flavors. But the joy of doing WingFest is putting our culinary skills to the test and giving the guests something different and new to experience. Like our Monkey Bread sauce, people think it is weird at first but later come back wanting more.”
And if chicken wings aren’t your go-to food, don’t worry — Tussey ensures the event caters to a wider audience with the inclusion of vendors like Rita’s Italian Ice, Rosie’s Pierogies, and Doan’s Bones Barbecue.
Brandon Corvin, owner of Doan’s Bones, started working with Tussey Mountain about 15 years ago to offer WingFest attendees pizza and sandwiches. Ensuring there’s enough food to keep the thousands of attendees satisfied is a big job. Each week of WingFest, the team at Doan’s Bones prepares 150 pizza doughs, more than 200 pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, and four large totes of nacho chips.
“I like that WingFest runs like clockwork,” says Corvin. “Tussey Mountain does a great job of bringing the people in. We know what to expect and it’s fast paced.”
Beyond the delicious food and head-to-head wing competition, WingFest has also become a prime destination for live music in Centre County. Every Thursday night, two bands take the stage to give attendees an excuse to dance and rock out with their wings and drinks in hand. Like the wing competitors, the musical selection varies a bit each year, but there’s typically a healthy mix of local favorites and national tribute bands.
While Tussey wasn’t quite ready to announce this year’s band lineup before this story went to print, the list of bands should be available on their website by the end of March. Weyman did tease that guests have plenty to be excited about.
“We feel that this is one of the best lineups we’ve ever had,” says Weyman. “We’re definitely going to have some new bands that have never played at Tussey Mountain. I don’t think they’ve ever even played in Centre County. We’ve got some bands coming in that normally play at theaters or amphitheaters and charge $40 or $50 to see them.”
He emphasizes the value this adds to WingFest, as tickets remain $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Speaking of kids, for parents who are worried about finding something for their children to do while they enjoy wings and music, Tussey has some plans in the works.
“One thing we’re looking at is more amenities for kids,” expresses Weyman. “We used to have some inflatables here and we’re looking into things like that for people to do and keep their kids entertained a little longer on the slopes. We’re looking at all options just to improve the experience for everybody.”
Tussey is also seeking other ways to improve the event both for the competitors and guests. For the competition, they’re exploring ideas for additional prizes and rewards to try to attract even more restaurants. They also want to make the experience easier for guests to enjoy. Due to the popularity of WingFest, the lines for wings have gotten long in the past, and at times attendees haven’t had time to try each and every wing before submitting their vote. While this popularity underlines the success of the event, it’s also a challenge.
“We may have some changes this year, maybe opening up the gates earlier so that people can get in and try more wings,” says Weyman. “Also the more competitors we have the shorter each line becomes.”
Weyman also made it clear that Tussey is open to feedback from the community that has helped make WingFest the success it is today as they continually refine and expand the event with new options.
“We really are proud of where it’s at right now, but you know we’re never satisfied. We always want to make it even better. We had to sell out last year, and that was good and bad. We hated turning people away because we want as many people to come out and have fun as possible.”
This year’s WingFest shows no signs of slowing down, so interested guests will be happy to know tickets are available in advance at the Tussey Mountain ticket office. Visit tusseymountain.com/wingfest for all of the latest details about the competitors and bands who will be descending upon the mountain this summer. T&G
Matt Farley is a freelance writer in State College.
