Up to 300 volunteers are needed to help out with one of Chandler's biggest annual community events, the Ostrich Festival, slated for March 12-14 at Tumbleweed Park.

The supply of ostrich meat could not keep pace with the huge demand as crowds thronged the Chandler Ostrich Festival over the weekend.

They may not be blessed with beauty or brains, but ostriches know how to draw a crowd. They did it in the early 1900s, when tourists and locals stopped along roadside fields to ogle the herds of gangly birds that Chandler-area farmers were raising for feathers, and they'll do it again this weekend.

The Chandler Chamber of Commerce is asking for volunteers to help with the city’s signature event, the Chandler Ostrich Festival. The March 9-11 event requires more than 300 volunteers, with most shifts lasting about four hours.

The Thorobred Chevrolet Ostrich Festival Parade will roll down Arizona Avenue beginning at 10 a.m. today as part of the celebrations surrounding Chandler’s 16th annual Ostrich Festival.

Attendance at this past weekend’s Ostrich Festival in Chandler was down at least 23 percent from last year, organizers said.

Chandler's annual Ostrich Festival may not provide much of an economic boost for the city, but its oddity factor does raise awareness about Chandler, which translates into more tourism, according to event organizers.

A program highlighting Chandler's annual Ostrich Festival will appear on the Animal Planet television network this month, and city officials say that's good for tourism.

Organizers of Chandler's Ostrich Festival say the 22nd annual event, held last weekend in Tumbleweed Park, was a huge success, with a 14 percent increase in attendance over last year.

A motorcycle stunt man was seriously injured in Chandler Saturday morning when he collided with a city-owned vehicle on the grounds of the Ostrich Festival, according to authorities.

Get a child’s ticket free with the purchase of an adult ticket when your child colors a coloring page for the Chandler Chamber Ostrich Festival on Friday, March 8.

Ostriches may not be able to fly, but they’re pretty darn good runners.

An injured 56-year-old Chandler city worker who will be missing at least eight weeks of work has a message to those thinking about riding the mechanical bull at the annual Ostrich Festival: "Be careful and ride at your own risk."

March 11, 2005

The day of reckoning is here for Chandler’s Ostrich Festival.

Those giant long-necked, long-legged racing birds are the stars of the annual Chandler Ostrich Festival. But the show couldn't go on without the 300-plus volunteers who work behind the scenes. Volunteer and you're in for a fun day that not only includes chariot races featuring the world's largest bird, but also shows featuring monkeys, reptiles, high-flying dogs, magic, cowboy trick ropers, musical entertainment and more.

The ostriches will return to Chandler’s Ostrich Festival in March after a flap last year over the Newcastle disease put the birds on hiatus.

When the Chandler Ostrich Festival first began 24 years ago, its founders didn’t just look to their fair-feathered friends for inspiration.

A 38-year-old stunt motorcyclist seriously injured at the Chandler Ostrich Festival after colliding with a city-owned vehicle, remains in a medically induced coma and in guarded condition in the intensive care unit at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn hospital, according to William J. Walker, the attorney representing the stuntman's family.

The birds can’t fly, so they’re bringing in hot air balloons for this year’s Ostrich Festival in Chandler. The 19-year-old fundraiser for the Chandler Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for March 9-11 at the city’s Tumbleweed Park at McQueen and Germann roads.

Turnout at this weekend's Chandler Ostrich Festival is expected to be high as residents put off expensive vacations and spring break trips in the sputtering economy.

The Chandler Chamber of Commerce has made an out of-court agreement to settle a lawsuit brought by the Ostrich Festival’s former producer.

If it hadn’t rained, Karen Cupps’ biggest heartbreak of the 18th annual Chandler Ostrich Festival would have involved an earring and an emu.

The Chandler Chamber of Commerce is seeking applications from businesses and organizations to take part in the March 3 Ostrich Festival Parade. This year's parade through downtown will include popular entries from the past, including the El Zaribah Shrine and local high school marching bands. Other entries to watch this year are the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting, the Shake It Up Dance Deam, and the Corvette Club of Arizona will provide vehicles for parade dignitaries.