4-H Chicken Shack opens at West TN State Fair

JACKSON, Tenn. — Workers flipped chickens Tuesday at the West Tennessee State Fair as the 4-H Chicken Shack officially opened for business.

Zach McCarver, 17, started helping several years ago. “What we do in the pit, it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s a ton of fun,” he said.

Volunteers started cooking around 4 a.m. They smother the chicken in a vinegar-based sauce. “Every time we flip, we spray a little something special on it,” McCarver said.

The 4-H Chicken Shack started in 1962. “It’s open pit style, and of course it cooks at a higher temperature,” Harold Cothran, pit boss, said.

Cothran watched his dad help for nearly 50 years and carries on the tradition. “I can remember as a 3-year-old coming in here,” he said. “I kind of grew up in it.”

Proceeds pay for 4-H trips, scholarships and projects. The money stays in Madison County.

Organizers estimate they will have about 100 young 4-H members working at the 4-H Chicken Shack this week. “It teaches them business skills,” Cothran said.

They preordered about 4,400 chicken halves this year.

“September is actually called Shack-tober because it’s really, even though the fair is only a week long, this for us is really a two-week thing between setup and tear-down,” McCarver said.

The 4-H Chicken Shack is open for lunch and dinner. They sell until the food runs out.