Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI), Georgetown, the non-profit trade association for the region’s chicken industry, this year ended its sponsorship of the Delmarva Chicken Festival.
However, a key part of the event, the giant fry pans that cooked chicken from 1950 to 2014 soon will have new roles in promoting the chicken industry.
The original one-piece fry pan, first used at the 1950 Delmarva Chicken Festival in Dover and last used in 1987, has been donated to the Georgetown (Delaware) Historical Society for display at the Nutter D. Marvel Carriage Museum.
The museum is home to a collection of historic objects and memorabilia related to Sussex County and Delaware’s history.
Sussex County is the largest producer of meat chickens in the U.S. and Georgetown was the site of the first Delmarva Chicken Festival. “It was appropriate that the original fry pan be put on display at Georgetown because of the area’s significance to our industry,” said DPI Executive Director Bill Satterfield. “We look forward to working with the Georgetown Historical Society to help it promote our industry.”
The 1988 replacement fry pan has been acquired by The English Company, which is known tfor its fried chicken.
The English Company will use the pan to prepare chicken across Delmarva at festivals,
Satterfield said the DPI decision to transfer ownership of the pan to The English Company would allow greater use of the pan than if it was transferred to just one community. Several Delmarva communities expressed interest in owning the pan for their local events.
Persons interested in working with The English Company can contact Phil Hall at 443-254-4793 and demomanhall@hotmail.com.
Both pans were constructed by Mumford Sheet Metal Works of Selbyville.
