MONTGOMERY —
Featuring the usual country music stars and other attractions, the annual Turkey Trot Festival will get under way on Thursday evening.
The carnival offers children the excitement of rides at 5 p.m., turkey racing at 6 p.m., bingo at 6:30 p.m., and the farm stock tractor pulls at 6:45 p.m., all on Thursday night.
Entering its 39th straight year of hosting the well-known festival, the Montgomery Ruritan Club will be celebrating another milestone, the 50th anniversary of the club itself.
Turkey Trot is not only known for its name-based feature of turkey racing, but also for popular entertainment year in and year out. This year should rank as one of the best with country stars Joe Diffie (Friday night) and Mark Wills (Saturday night) hitting the stage. Bleacher seats will be available or you can bring your own lawn chairs. It is recommended to claim your spots early for the concert.
Merkley Meats will again be supplying food for sale at the booth in the annex building. Marinated turkey strips, burgers, pork chops, and more will be offered. Other great food stands will also be available throughout the grounds every day of the festival.
Festivities scheduled for Friday begin at 5 p.m., with rides and the the flea market/craft vendors opening inside the Community Building. Turkey racing starts at 6:30 p.m. and the Joe Diffie show will be at 8:15 p.m. on the stage.
Saturday will not disappoint as the Turkey Trot becomes an all-day event. Horse pulls start the day beginning at 10:30 a.m., rides begin at 11 a.m. and the flea market opens again as well. Mud volleyball, a festival favorite, gets under way at 11:30 a.m. Entering its 26th year, this year’s tournament has 20 entries playing for bragging rights and the winning trophy.
There will also be a cornhole tournament at 1 p.m., in which the top four teams will receive a cash prize. At 1:30 there will be a three-point and freethrow shooting contest, along with challenge games that include sprinting and running. At 2 p.m., the Indiana Truck Pullers Association will crown its season champion on the track at the Turkey Trot. In the evening, the semi-finals of the turkey races will take place at 6:15, and the presentation of service awards will happen right before the Mark Wills show at 8 p.m.
“Good Times” disc jockey will entertain in the beer garden both Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
“This is my fifth year of serving as chairman of the Turkey Trot Festival. With great weather, we are hoping for another record crowd this year,” Dewayne Shake, festival chairman said. “It is one of my favorite festivals, and I always look forward to it every year.”
On the slate Sunday at the festival is the championship turkey race at 12:15 p.m., the family fun-filled event of pig wrestling at 1 p.m., and the demolition derby on the track at 1:30 p.m. Rides on Sunday open at noon.
The flea market and craft booths inside and outside the community building will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are close to 50 vendors again this year, according to Shake.
Admission is $10 a night or $25 for a four-day pass purchased before Thursday. At the gate, the four-day pass is $30. Gate passes on Saturday for one-day are $5 if purchased before 1 p.m. Anyone buying a season pass is automatically entered to win a Fisher-Paykel washer donated by Yoder’s Furniture and Appliances.
Local News
Related Photos
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Mud volleyball is a fixture at any Turkey Trot, as this played in the 2008 edition. This year marks the 39th edition of the popular Montgomery festival, held at the Ruritan grounds, starting Thursday. Photo by Kelly Overton
Discussion
Turkey Trot to kick-off Thursday
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