Story by Marla Ballard
For over a century crowds have joined the now 2,000-plus citizens of Collinsville for the annual Turkey Trot that takes place each November. The event is hosted by the Collinsville Historical Association. “We will have lots of new vendors at the Turkey Trot in Collinsville this year,” said Monica Dennis, President of Collinsville Historical Association. “I am very excited about this year’s event.”
The Turkey Trot offers live music, art, crafts, food vendors, a car show, carnival rides, a petting zoo, pony ride, paw parade, silent auction, inflatables, corn hole tournament (sponsored by the Collinsville Fire Department), turkey toss, Miss Turkey Trot pageant winners, and more.
Car show registration is from 8 – 10 a.m. The show is from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. with awards at 2 p.m. Tractors and motorcycles are included with the car show. For more information about the car show contact Jason Tidwell at 706-537-9607. The Collinsville Public Library will have Pete the Cat story time at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The library is located at 151 W. Main St, Collinsville. Live music will be presented at the Turkey Trot by Chris Roberts School of Music and the band Draztic Chanj.
“This year some of the vendors will include wood turning, homemade bath products, permanent jewelry, and dog bandanas,” said Kayla Beene Public Relations for Collinsville Historical Association. “There will also be a greased pig contest, cake walk, build-a-bear, and a photo booth. Our carnival rides are provided by Fun Source of Birmingham and we will have new T-shirts and sweatshirts for sale.”
“The funds for the event come from many faithful sponsors and grants,” said Martha Barksdale, Treasurer of the Collinsville Historical Association. “Proceeds from the Turkey Trot allow for the continued restoration of the Cricket Theatre. The Collinsville Historical Association thanks the sponsors for their continuing support.”
The history of “The Cricket,” so named because of its location near Wills Creek where crickets chirped continuously, began in 1925 when it was located in the G.W. Roberts building, now the Collinsville Public Library. The 1925 Cricket boasted seating for 197, showed silent movies, accompanied by a record player whose sound easily got out of sync with the picture. It had a stage where beauty contests were held and had Friday and Saturday Western movies (in the 1920s and 30s Westerns were the least expensive films to rent). Admission was 10 cents for children and 20 cents for adults. Children who attended the Friday picture show could attend the Saturday show for only 5 cents. The first talking picture at the Collinsville Cricket was shown in February 1930, – according to Collinsville Historical Association.
In 1912, the tradition of the turkey trot began when Hall's General Store wanted a promotion to draw customers to shop. The idea was developed by store owner Oliver Hall’s son Irby Hall after hearing Berlin’s “Everybody’s Doing It, Doing the Turkey Trot” in 1911. Originally, live turkeys were set free from the roof of the store for people to chase down and take home. Some birds had $1 attached to their legs – which in 1912 was enough money to buy the remaining items for a family meal.
Many aspects of the event from both past and present have changed. Live turkeys are no longer set free to a waiting crowd below. These days 30 Turkey Beanie Babies are tossed from an elevated place into the crowd. The one who catches the toy returns it to the event planners and is given a gift certificate to take to the local Piggly Wiggly for a free, frozen turkey.In the past games such as chasing a greased pig, climbing a greased pole, and sack races were the highlight of the day. Some of the time-honored traditions still remain along with newer versions of fun.
There were many years when the town celebration did not take place, however it was brought back to life by Jimmy and Tangy Carter. The newly organized event has been going strong now for 20 years. The Turkey Trot generally draws a crowd of over 1,000 annually. Also open will be the Collinsville Historical Association and the downtown shops. The Turkey Trot takes place on Main Street in downtown Collinsville on Saturday, Nov 16 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
