This Friday in Fredericksburg, a festival will be held to celebrate “die hinkel,” or to English speakers, “the chicken.”
Hinkelfest has been held since 1991 (with a couple of years being skipped due to hurricanes) and each year it features a mix of food, music, games, and other special events over the course of the three-day event.
According to Hinkelfest president R. Matthew Brace, the event raises money for five organizations: Matthews Public Library, Fredericksburg Fire Company, The American Legion Auxiliary, Fredericksburg Lions Club, and the Fredericksburg Community Association.
“We make donations to each one of the groups, in the number of years since (Hinkelfest began) we’ve raised close to half a million dollars and donated it back to those organizations,” said Brace.
Bell & Evans is the festival’s major sponsor, with the company also celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.
If you’ve attended in the past, expect some expansions this year in comparison to previous editions of Hinkelfest.
“This year we significantly expanded our craft and vendor show. We’ve almost doubled in size,” said Brace
Additionally, the entertainment slate has expanded featuring performances by Brian Dean Moore Band and The Uptown Band on Friday, Pentagon on Saturday, and Elvis tribute artist Jeff Swider on Sunday.
Food plays an important part in Hinkelfest with a breakfast scheduled for Saturday morning, and chicken dinners on both Saturday and Sunday running from 11am until the festival runs out of chickens.
Hinkelfest will be held at Fireman’s Park in Fredericksburg and will run from Friday, September 13 through Sunday, September 15. For hours and a schedule of events click here.