Turkeys Away!

Turkey Drop

Turkeys Away!

(Be Humane…Use Frozen Turkeys)

It’s Not Black Thursday. It’s Thanksgiving!

(Sometimes, you have to hit people over the head, just sayin’)

 

“It’s a helicopter, and it’s coming this way. It’s flying something behind it, I can’t quite make it out, it’s a large banner and it says, uh – Happy… Thaaaaanksss… giving! … From … W … K … R… P!! No parachutes yet. Can’t be skydivers… I can’t tell just yet what they are, but – Oh my God, Johnny, they’re turkeys!! Johnny, can you get this? Oh, they’re plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the windshield of a parked car! Oh, the humanity! The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenburg tragedy has there been anything like this!”

If you have not watched the classic (1978) Turkey Drop episode of WKRP Cincinnati, you must.

Here is the shorter version

[youtube]http://youtu.be/lf3mgmEdfwg[/youtube]

 

Oddly enough, this famous WKRP episode was loosely based on a real event! Back in 1946 (some sources say 1945), Yellville, Arkansas inaugurated the “Turkey Trot Festival” which included a wild turkey calling contest, a turkey target shoot, a Miss Drumsticks Pageant and oh yeah: a live turkey release from the roof of the courthouse.

After a few years, someone thought it might be fun to actually toss the poor gobblers out of a low-flying airplane for the event. This repeated for a number of years until 1989 when a national animal-rights protest cast the event in a bad light and the “National Enquirer” splashed a photo of the event across the nation forcing promoters to abandon the turkey drop.

Thanksgiving The Real Deal

Odd Loves Company!

♥~

 

12 thoughts on “Turkeys Away!

  1. A Miss Drumsticks Pageant?? Sounds a little sexist or something, doesn’t it??

    We haven’t had real snow yet here and there doesn’t look to be any around by Thanksgiving. However, rather than throwing good turkeys at the turkeys shopping on that day, snowballs would work. Might ease some of those bad feelings lingering in my mouth over this nonsense, too!

    • Ya think? And who would even want to be Miss. Drumstick?
      Snowballs are a good idea! It’s cold here, but I don’t think snow is in the forecast. A good thing, since Thanksgiving is a very busy camp holiday. We’ll come up with something, tho.

  2. I for one am happy they no longer drop live turkeys out of airplanes. How dreadful that they ever did.
    I’m not going to shop all next week.
    TTFN
    MJ

    • It was pretend on the show–or you know I would never have watched it. I don’t want to think of the events that inspired the television episode on WKRP Cincinnati. I’ve always felt sorry for the bird. I think we should eat lobster.

  3. “As God is my witness, I did not know Turkeys could not fly!” Classic. Just a classic. I think dropping Turkeys on the heads of shoppers could work! Frozen of-course. Wal-mart Turkeys would be appropriate.
    Off to El Morno.

  4. arkansas…… isn’t that where walmart began?
    the only turkey trots I know of are the races thanksgiving morning where you see families jogging together as well as the competitive folks running to place. fun time & a great way to put a few hundred calories in the bank before the feast!

    • Yep. The headquarters is still in Ark.
      A good friend does a Turkey trot with friends and then they all gather at a bar for a couple of drinks before they head back home to eat dinner. She loves the tradition.

  5. It is getting out of control when people have to shop on a holiday. Next will be stores open 24/7 365 days a year. Enough already. Lets make it as it once was with stores being closed on the major holidays AND Sundays! Stay home with your families, people!!

  6. I’m old enough to remember that episode when it was original. 🙁 Turkey drops never made any sense to me. Stores open on holidays doesn’t make any sense either.

    • The original was too funny. I’m glad no turkeys were hurt on the show, tho. Eating animals is one thing, dropping them is a whole other thing. You are right, it doesn’t make a lick of sense!

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