Members of the Burkeville Ruritans and the Crewe Kiwanis of Nottoway County, for the 39th year, astounded more than 1,500 people on just how delicious chicken in all of its forms can be when cooked to perfection.

The occasion in mid-June was the Virginia Chicken Festival, where the bands struck up at 3 p.m. at Hooper Park in Crewe. The festival provided an afternoon of entertainment, good food, fellowship, fun and just an old-fashioned good time where Southern hospitality was in its prime. Early arrivals gathered under the shade of big old trees, under tents and in the palladium awaiting the arrival of the first chicken dish as they sipped on their beverage of choice. And the wait wasn’t very long before chicken wings, nuggets, livers, gizzards and stew (actually titled Roberts’ Rooster Stew) were being enjoyed by all, knowing that at 5 p. m. a full chicken dinner would be their next course.

On site and on the move were two men who have b...