At Carlisle High School, we hold many unique events to our school. One event, in particular, is especially uncommon; the .5k. The .5k run/walk took place on Apr 27, 11:30 am, and it was hosted by our very own Wingin’ It! cast.

This was the inaugural year of the .5k at CHS. The race itself spanned one-third of a mile, centered around the Swartz building, and was held to assist Wingin’ It!’s fast approaching trip to Chicago.  It was organized by Matthew Fahnestock, Wingin’ It! troupe director, and the rest of Wingin’ It!. Members of the troupe acted as guides to direct runners.

The event started with the race, which began at the clock tower near Swartz and ended at the entrance to the Swartz cafeteria. After that, people continued to a table filled with wings. Once everybody got their food, the Wingin’ It! performance began.

“The best part of Wingin’ Fit is that it’s an easy, relaxed way to support Wingin’ It while also having fun!” Kyra Jackson, a sophomore and Wingin’ It! manager said. “You get to try wings from a variety of different restaurants, laugh with friends and family, and even, if you choose, get a great shirt to commemorate the event.”

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Six wings were given to each person, all from different restaurants including North Hanover Grille, 3 Pines, Market Cross, Miseno’s, Homer’s Corner, and Redd’s BBQ.

 The hot package, $20, helds everything the mild package did, but it also included a t-shirt and bumper sticker. There was a five dollar discount on both packages that could be purchased. 

When asked what the most important part of Wingin’ Fit is, Fahnestock said, “To have fun. It’s not meant to be competitive, or embarrassing…the most important part is to support Wingin’ It!.”

The race conformed to his wishes and wasn’t competitive, with a good amount of people walking instead of running. Gift Cards were given out to first and last place, but besides that, no one really paid attention to how fast anyone moved.

“I’d say the biggest incentive is, of course, the show afterward on top of the awesome wings,” said senior Wingin’ It member,  Dominick DeLorenzo. “It will be all of Wingin’ It! and then whoever else wants to participate in the event. I’d say the biggest thing to know is to have fun and enjoy yourself!”  

According to him, the biggest benefits aren’t just the wings, but the enjoyment of the show as well during which Wingin’ It! acted out multiple comedic scenarios. Fahnestock directed the performance and took suggestions from the crowd. The performance lasted for about 45 minutes, and at the end, extra wings were sold for 25 cents each.

Wingin’ It! has been around since 2005, and will continue to do shows throughout the coming years. In the near future, Wingin’ It! will hold an improv camp over the summer aimed at improving teamwork skills and teaching kids how to improvise on the spot. The camp includes a t-shirt and a performance by Wingin’ It. Registration is available at the Wingin’ It website.