In Allenspark, a new festival is putting the spotlight on one of Colorado’s feathered friends.
On Saturday, the inaugural Wild Turkey Festival will celebrate turkeys in all their forms while ushering in the fall season. Hosted by the small mountain community of Allenspark in northwestern Boulder County, festival activities will take place at various local businesses and venues throughout the day.
“We’ve never done anything like this before,” said Elisabeth Sherwin, one of the event coordinators.
According to Sherwin, the festival was initially pitched as a joke. After an Allenspark resident expressed distaste for the wild turkeys and their tendency to rampage through her yard, community members suggested holding a festival to honor the birds instead of bringing them down.
Wild turkeys are plentiful in Allenspark, which helped the whole community get behind the new event.
“It’s become a thing,” Sherwin said. “I think every single store, institution and person in Allenspark is involved in one way or another.”
Turkey theming will dominate the festival’s activities and food. Guests can munch on turkey legs or take shots of Wild Turkey bourbon. One of the main events, the “turkey strut,” is a fashion competition in which the turkey costumes of kids and adults alike will be judged.
The schedule also includes a pancake breakfast at the Allenspark fire station, a turkey calling contest and a “pin the tail on the turkey” game.
“If a wild turkey had the nerve to show up in downtown Allenspark, it would be celebrated,” Sherwin said.
Upon arriving at the festival, visitors can purchase a passport and collect stamps from at least five of the 25 participating Allenspark venues. Stamped passports will be entered into a drawing for an outdoor shed.
Funds raised through passport sales will go toward three local nonprofits. The money will be divided among the Allenspark Fire Protection District, the Allenspark Area Club and The Old Gallery. The Allenspark Area Club awards scholarships and keeps the nearby highway clean, while The Old Gallery houses a food bank and community closet.
Sherwin said it’s been amazing to see the Allenspark community come together over preparations for a new event. She emphasized that everyone is invited to visit Allenspark and enjoy the “friendly mountain feeling.”
“We’re like the last bastion of Boulder County,” she said. “So, we welcome everyone to come up and see what we’re like.”
The festival will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A full schedule is available at visitallenspark.com.