Episode Details

The Costa Community Association's Chicken Dinner returns Sunday, Sept. 27, for its 69th year — one of Galesburg's longest-running community traditions. Tina and Nate Hutchings joined Galesburg's Morning News Thursday, Sept. 24, to preview the event, which runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Costa Catholic Academy, 2726 Costa Drive, with dine-in, carryout and drive-thru service all available. The menu includes golden fried chicken made from the event's longtime "secret recipe," or grilled chicken, served with mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, applesauce or coleslaw, and dinner rolls. Prices are $14 for adults and $7 for kids 10 and under. Diners can choose white meat (leg and breast), dark meat (wing and thigh), or grilled chicken. The dinner typically serves close to 800 people, split about evenly between dine-in and carryout, and remains the Costa Community Association's largest fundraiser of the year. Prep begins Friday, with the full meal prep happening Saturday ahead of Sunday's event. New this year: a dessert table featuring warm peach cobbler with ice cream donated by Lim's Ice Cream, served à la mode for dine-in guests, along with fresh roasted regular and decaf coffee from Innkeepers. Drive-thru customers will also have dessert options for the first time. The event will accept digital payments through GiveSmart for the first time, in addition to cash and check. Raffle prizes include cash awards of $350, $250 and $150, donated by local sponsors, along with two new raffle opportunities this year: a family day out and a Costa quilt made from the school's logos over the years. Students sell the raffle tickets, with prizes for the top sellers, and also help run the drive-thru carts and serve in the dining room. 🎧 Subscribe to Galesburg's Morning News: Apple Podcasts | Spotify