Sick kids in Manitoba will be one step closer to having their wishes come true thanks to the generosity of some of Manitoba's ag sector.

A chicken wing eating contest was held at the Prairie Livestock Expo in Winnipeg on Tuesday, December 14, and it was a huge success! "Wingstix for Wishes" was organized to raise money for Make-A-Wish Canada, and it attracted dozens of participants and spectators during the busy trade show.

The contest was simple: participants had two minutes to eat as many chicken wings as they could, or to finish all 15 wings the quickest. There were two heats of five participants each, with the winner from each heat heading to the championship for a thrilling head-to-head final showdown.

The atmosphere at the contest was electric. As the participants chowed down on the juicy chicken wings, the crowd cheered them on, adding to the excitement of the event. In the end, the winners were able to eat an impressive number of wings, but we had some controversy in the final. Keith, who is a member of Make-A-Wish Manitoba and Nunavut's board, ate all 15 wings in his opening heat and championship round. It seemed an easy victory (as easy as eating a total of 30 wings in the span of four minutes is, at least). However, officials ruled in the championship round that Keith left too much meat on some of his bones and disqualified him. Trevor Hofer from StarLite Colony ended up being declared the champion, and he took home $160.

Aside from the excitement and fun of the contest itself, the real highlight of the event was the amount of money raised for charity. Thanks to the support of local businesses and community members, the event was able to raise $3,000 for Make A Wish's Manitoba and Nunavut chapter.

Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. The organization says it's "on a quest to bring every eligible child's wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey."

Overall, the chicken wing eating contest was a huge success. It brought the community together for a fun and exciting event, and it raised a significant amount of money for a good cause. It's events like these that make us proud to be part of such a generous and compassionate ag community in Manitoba.