In 1995, five dollars could buy a one-and-a-half pound chicken dinner from the Sertoma Club of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Despite its popularity and cheap chicken, the event only happened once a year. Chefs had to begin barbecuing at 2:30 a.m. to ensure enough poultry was prepared.

Breaking all previous records, the Sertoma Club barbecued 32,000 chickens in 1995. The group held the “World’s Largest Chicken Barbecue” title until it was overtaken by Poultry Days in Versailles, Ohio, in 2024.

Watch the video above to see how 32,000 chickens were barbecued.

If you liked this retro find, check out the playlist of more archival clips below.

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