It’s where the battle of the bands meets the battle of the birds. The competition can be viscous, and at this year’s Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings Sept. 5 at Palisades Tahoe, the stakes are even higher.

“It’s been a minute since we won,” said Randy Rogers, owner of the Auld Dubliner, a regular wing-and-tunes contender. “We had a run there for fi ve or six years. It’s time to take it back.”

To take it back, the Dubliner and the other valley restaurants will need to outduel the oldest competitor in the fi eld, PlumpJack Inn, the back-to-back champion whose grounds were built for the 1960 Winter Olympics long before today’s village eateries were ever a whirling notion in Alexaner Cushing’s entrepreneurial mind.

“We’re not a village restaurant,” said Steve Lamb, PlumpJack’s longtime general manager. “So, we are grateful to get the invite and set up in the Tram Plaza. There’s a lot of good local camaraderie, a lot of locals out and about on a Friday night. It’s a great event to be a part of.”

Sure, it’s great if you’re winning. Last year’s dry rub, pickle-back wings with house-made buffalo sauce got PlumpJack the Wing vs. Wing Champion Trophy, and their house band, Tim High & the Mighty, played their incendiary psychedelic rock tunes to victory in the battle of the bands for the $500 cash prize and yearlong bragging rights. The band will take the stage again for the restaurant in 2025, yet something new is planned for its wings.

“There’s a lot of haggling back and forth,” Rogers noted. “A lot of talking crap. The kitchen guys are always trying to come up with new recipes. It’s good competition.”

Victors in each category are determined by votes cast by participants in attendance. For a nominal entry donation, patrons receive: wing tasting at each restaurant, access to the live music, entry into a raffl e, and six voting tokens (three each for music and wings). Additional voting tokens may be purchased to further push a favorite wing and/or string to victory. Wings will vary by spice-level and taste at each restaurant, and an eclectic mix of music awaits.

“This year we have Another Dam Disappointment,” Rogers said. “A.D.D. for short, a punk band out of Sacramento. We can get a little bluegrassy and a little dead-heady up here in Tahoe, so it’s good to mix it up.”

The Auld Dubliner’s sister restaurant, Tremigo Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar, will feature Suika T, the Latin fusion band known for getting the audience grooving.

Rounding out the six-team fi eld will be 22 Bistro and its band, WD Saw and Friends; Fireside Pizza with Vice Grip, and Rocker with Coburn Station, all duking it out for top wings or strings or both. Musically, two village stages will alternate every hour, and bouncing around from venue to venue, wings in hand, is encouraged.

Good Cause

Like every event in the Village at Palisades Tahoe, Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings has its own benefi ciary — TINS, the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science.

For the past 15 years, the local, member-supported nonprofi t has sought to advance the natural history, conservation, and ecosystem knowledge of our region. It does so through education, outreach, and citizen-science programs, engaging children and adults alike in its stewardship mission.

Per its website, a long-term goal of TINS is to establish a local, world-class interpretive center and permanent educational facility for “awakening student curiosity and … inviting them to become engaged in their immediate natural surroundings.”

Last year’s event raised over $10,000 for the organization.

The TINS bar will be set up in the Village, where attendees pick up their entry tickets, and it will be offering specials on beer, wine, and cocktails starting promptly at 4 p.m. Music and wings typically kick off around 5 p.m., and while the fun is scheduled to go to 9:30 p.m., no one ever quite knows when the rooster will crow at Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings. Attendees who wish to stay the night can book Village lodging for 15% off.

“It’s one of my favorite events because it takes place during kind of an off time of year,” said Patrick Lacey, public relations manager at Palisades Tahoe. “It’s more of a local’s event for sure — and who doesn’t like live music and chicken wings?”

And if you like friendly-but-ultra-super-heated competition with cash-money prizes and a year’s worth of bragging rights, all the better.

Plus,” Lamb of PlumpJack culminated, “TINS is awesome.”

For more information about Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings, and to learn more about getting involved with TINS or volunteering for the event, visit tinsweb.org.