Dateline: April 8, 2004

Next Turkey King could be a female

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise 

Organizers are lining up candidates to unwittingly fight it out to be Donley County’s fourth Turkey King, but this year there is a twist. The candidates are all female.

“The women are going to rule the roost,” said election judge Linda Gray, “and any man who thinks he is up to the challenge is welcome to try to win.”

Leading the 2004 flock is the esteemed mayor of Howardwick and perennial candidate Nancy Davis, who is making her third appearance on the fowl ballot. Davis narrowly lost the crown last year when Clarendon Alderman Tommy Hill defeated her by a margin of only 72 cents.

Davis also came in second in 2002, but she is expected to turn up the charm this year for a very spirited campaign.

Other candidates ready to do battle with Davis include Tessie Robinson of Suna AutoMall, Martha Smith of Clarendon College, CC Librarian Jewell Houston, Andrea Coxey of Medical Center Nursing Home, Linda Thornton also of MCNH, CHS secretary Valorie Ashcraft, Associated Ambulance Authority directory Anita Aaron, paramedic Anna Summers, and Reneé Betts of Greenbelt Water Authority.

Votes are still one penny each, and the hen with the most money wins when the fourth annual Turkey Strut Festival is held Saturday, April 24. Ballots may be cast in the jars of the respective candidates at Sayes, Duckwall’s, and the Texas Steakout. Proceeds go to promote tourism in Donley County.

Other scheduled activities for the festival include a cake walk, a volleyball tournament, a merchants’ window painting contest, a mattress race, the kids’ turkey strut contest, and a high noon bank robbery.

Anyone interested in fundraising or having an arts and crafts fair during the Turkey Strut should contact Terry Askew at 874-3844.