Talking Turkey

Seventy-five years ago, much of Litchfield and Meeker County was “talking turkey.” For five Saturdays in November and December 1950, the Litchfield Chamber of Commerce, along with many of Litchfield’s merchants, sponsored turkey prize drawings.

Olga Hageseter, Frank Holtz, and June Bollin show off their turkey prizes, with Chamber of Commerce members Gary Hollaar and Martin Peterzen standing on the left and right of the winners. The Independent Review, November 30, 1950.

At 4 p.m. on the designated Saturdays, people gathered on the “Bank Corner” in downtown Litchfield, the corner of Sibley Avenue and Second Street which was considered the “heart of the business district.” The attendees hoped to win one of three turkeys to be given away. All of the local residents were included in the drawing, with the names coming from the city and rural utility records. The only catch was that you had to be present to win.

November 11 was the first Saturday of the giveaway, and over 75 names were called before three winners were among the crowd. The next Saturday, 43 names were drawn. Not only did The Independent Review report the names of the winners and print their picture on the front page each week, but it also published the people who could have won if they had been in attendance. Perhaps this bit of public shaming was part of the Chamber’s strategy to increase interest. Whether it was part of the marketing plan or not, the crowd grew each Saturday, with only about a dozen names being announced before winners were on hand for the final three weeks.

Today, if you were to win a holiday turkey, you would expect to be presented with a nicely wrapped, frozen bird. But that wasn’t the case for the 1950 winners. All of the winners received a live turkey. Most people today wouldn’t be prepared to take care of live poultry, much less have a plan for butchering it. But seventy-five years ago, chances were that if you weren’t knowledgeable in tending to a turkey, you knew someone who was. The Chamber turkey giveaways continued for a few years, although they did switch to oven-ready turkeys.

While part of the great turkey giveaway might have been out of generosity, the main goal was to give the businesses a holiday boost. Stores were open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays, meaning those who came to town in hopes of a free turkey had several hours yet to do some shopping.

Not to be out done by the Chamber, other businesses offered their own incentives, including Litchfield’s Fenton Chevrolet. They offered a free sixteen-pound turkey to anyone who bought a used car from them.

When it came to eating all of the turkey, the society news or “locals” column in The Independent Review dedicated many inches to reporting who hosted whom, who traveled to where, and what out-of-town guests were visiting for the holidays.

As our minds turn to gratitude this time of year, we at the Meeker County Museum want to express our thanks to all of our supporters. Thank you for helping us share and preserve our local history.