69th annual Chicken Broil another success

“Destination Michigan,” an original series on WCMU Public Television, featured this year’s Manchester Chicken Broil! Screenshot from “Destination Michigan“ on WCMU’s segment on the Manchester Chicken Broil.

by Marsha Chartrand

It’s still Manchester’s biggest event. And certainly one of its proudest.

The Manchester Chicken Broil was once again a success, and is growing in popularity once again after a few years of decline and a year off for COVID in 2020. In long ago years, the annual crowds were advertised at 10,000 and above … but it’s been many years since that number was a reality.

“This year, we sold well over 7,000 chicken dinners,“ said Jeff Mann. “And that was up about 300 or more from last year’s numbers.“

Mann estimated that nearly half of the dinners were delivered via the drive-through lines, about 22% were eaten on the field, and approximately 29% were served at the take-out lines.

“Everything seemed to go really smooth this year,“ he said. “We had great weather and there was a great atmosphere on the field all day. We are glad to see things getting  back to normal.“

Mann also said that he struggled with the decision last year to change from the tradition of Thursday afternoon to Saturday. “I hated to do it,“ he said. “But things weren’t working the old traditional way. Time will tell, of course, but right now it seems like it’s a positive change.“

Mann noted that with the move to Saturday, they have seen more younger people both working and attending. “This is huge,“ he said, “because they are our future to take over the committees.“

One thing that is still needed — always needed, in fact — is more volunteers. Whether the day before, the day of, behind the scenes, or getting things ready in the months before the Broil, there are volunteer positions available for men, women, and even kids. “Some of the immediate needs are the take-out/drive-through line, helping with the audio equipment, taking the chicken from the pits to the serving areas, advertising and marketing, and computer programming, just to name a few,“ Mann said, “but we can put people wherever they have an interest.“ Please email manchesterchickenbroil@gmail.com to indicate what your interest is!

The Chicken Broil is full of traditions — some of them highly popular and others perhaps less so. A longtime debate has been the radishes that have long been added to the meal. Many people look forward to them each year, but Facebook banter shows that there are plenty of not-so-big fans of the radishes. One commenter even said that the only purpose of putting radishes in the dinner is so you have something to throw at your siblings during the meal.

An unofficial poll asked if people would prefer a chocolate chip cookie instead of radish. The commentary was sharply divided, although results did seem slightly skewed in favor of a cookie. Asked about this eventuality, Mann replied diplomatically, “We are always looking at options, but at this point it is nothing but an idea. We do understand that everyone doesn’t eat radishes, but there are those that look forward to them and it might be the only time they get radishes for the year.“

So that question will not be resolved anytime soon. (Rest assured there will probably be more radishes to throw at your siblings next year!) And there is plenty of time for radish lovers to lobby for their favorite vegetable to stay in the white cardboard box that we all know and love.

Mann concluded, “I would like to include a thank you to all those that came and enjoyed a chicken dinner as well as all the volunteers that made it happen; especially all those behind the scenes who do a tremendous amount of work to make this event happen.“

Once again, thank you, Manchester, for pulling off — and supporting — another year of this amazing event in our tiny community!

Screenshot of chairs Gary Bross and Jeff Mann from “Destination Michigan“ on WCMU’s segment on the 2022 Manchester Chicken Broil.

Screenshot from “Destination Michigan“ on WCMU’s segment on the 2022 Manchester Chicken Broil.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.