David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
North Grenville will celebrate its stubborn, wandering turkey every February
by Laura Glowacki, CBC News
Feb 19, 2020
Second Saturday in February now dedicated to Van Turken
Van Turken struts outside the Muncipal Centre in Kemptville on Feb. 7, 2020. (Municipality of North Grenville)
The mayor and council of North Grenville, Ont., unanimously proclaimed the second Saturday of February to be Van Turken Day going forward, in memory of a bird famous for its stubborn indifference.
The wild turkey was first noticed marching along its namesake, Van Buren Street in Kemptville, Ont., in December.
The bird made eventually its way to County Road 43 near the town's municipal centre where it caught attention for chasing pedestrians, climbing on cars and blocking road traffic.
A contractor with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Provincial Police caught Van Turken Feb. 13 and safely released the bird south of the town.
"She brought us all together," Lisa Brownrigg told council Tuesday.
Brownrigg started a Facebook fan group for Van Turken which now has more than 2,200 members.
Van Turken Day will give the town a chance to "re-live the silliness," she said.
Brownrigg hopes the day will be celebrated with outdoor games, music and other family-friendly activities in North Grenville, just south of Ottawa.
More: Kemptville has fallen in love with a hen named Van Turken
by Laura Glowacki, CBC News
Feb 19, 2020
Second Saturday in February now dedicated to Van Turken
Van Turken struts outside the Muncipal Centre in Kemptville on Feb. 7, 2020. (Municipality of North Grenville)
The mayor and council of North Grenville, Ont., unanimously proclaimed the second Saturday of February to be Van Turken Day going forward, in memory of a bird famous for its stubborn indifference.
The wild turkey was first noticed marching along its namesake, Van Buren Street in Kemptville, Ont., in December.
The bird made eventually its way to County Road 43 near the town's municipal centre where it caught attention for chasing pedestrians, climbing on cars and blocking road traffic.
A contractor with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Provincial Police caught Van Turken Feb. 13 and safely released the bird south of the town.
"She brought us all together," Lisa Brownrigg told council Tuesday.
Brownrigg started a Facebook fan group for Van Turken which now has more than 2,200 members.
Van Turken Day will give the town a chance to "re-live the silliness," she said.
Brownrigg hopes the day will be celebrated with outdoor games, music and other family-friendly activities in North Grenville, just south of Ottawa.
More: Kemptville has fallen in love with a hen named Van Turken
