Bill Murray unable to attend induction

BUFFALO, N.Y., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Bill Murray was unable to attend a Buffalo, N.Y., wings festival Friday, where he and the founder were to be inducted into the "Hall of Flame."

National Buffalo Wing Festival founder Drew Cerza was forced to improvise the Friday night induction ceremony, The Buffalo News reported.

Cerza decided to play a clip from the 2001 film "Osmosis Jones" as a placeholder for Murray's appearance. The clip, played on a Jumbotron at Coca-Cola Field, features a fast-food addicted Murray headed to Buffalo for a chicken festival.

"I think [Murray is] shooting a movie right now, so I'm not really disappointed, because he's got a crazy schedule," said Cerza, a self-proclaimed "Wing King."

The event Friday evening kicked off the tenth annual National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, N.Y., and honored this year's inductees to the "Hall of Flame." In addition to Murray, Cerza was the other inductee.

Cerza started the festival after reading a 2001 Buffalo News article that referenced "Osmosis Jones" and asked why there wasn't a wings fest in Buffalo.

Since the beginning of the festival, 9 million people have visited the events at Coca-Cola Field and about $200,000 has been raised for local charities.

"You know, what surprised me is how we've become such a destination for people across the country and the world. I mean, we were really lucky because the Travel Channel [and] the Food Network, they came out -- with all their shows -- to the festival and portrayed [the festival], and they kept replaying [the shows] month after month and year after year," Cerza said following Friday's induction ceremony. "When you go to a normal food festival, it's about the food. This festival is about more than just the food. It's about the camaraderie, the passion, live music and crazy contests."

The National Wing Festival officially kicked off at noon Saturday with tons of wings. Other events include wing-eating contests, sauce competitions and the Sunday Miss Buffalo Wing pageant. The festivities are accompanied by musical entertainment at the baseball field.