Yellville’s Turkey Trot festival marks its 80th anniversary this weekend with two days of music, contests, and community events, culminating in a Saturday morning parade and evening street dance. Organized by the Mid-Marion County Rotary Club, the festival will take place on Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10, under the theme “Rooted in Tradition.”
Each day of the festival begins early with breakfast served at the American Legion Hut, Post 61. Breakfast hours run from 6 to 10 a.m. on Friday and 6 to 9 a.m. on Saturday. The event officially kicks off at noon on Friday with an opening ceremony featuring a presentation of colors, the national anthem, and performances by the Yellville-Summit and Flippin school bands.
Friday’s activities continue with the Table Worship Band performing from 1 to 3 p.m., followed by a lip sync contest hosted by the Yellville-Summit Future Business Leaders of America chapter from 3:30 to 5 p.m. In the evening, GTS Physical Therapy sponsors a cornhole tournament, with registration at 5:30 p.m. and matches starting at 6:30 p.m. Musical performances include the Jerry Hopper Band from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., leading into the Ozark Thunder Band’s street dance performance from 8 to 11 p.m.
Saturday’s events begin with a morning parade at 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., the Rotary Club will honor its scholarship recipients and the winners of the Turkey Trot Pageant. The Whistlin’ Dixie Band is scheduled to perform from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with a street performance by the Turning Pointe School of Dance following from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. The day’s lineup also features a live performance by Resurrection from 3 to 4:30 p.m., door prize draws at vendor booths from 4:45 to 5:15 p.m., and an evening concert by the Pam Setser Band from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The festival concludes with the Buckshot Band’s street dance performance from 8 to 11 p.m.
First held in 1946, the Turkey Trot began as a National Turkey Calling Contest organized by Yellville’s American Legion post and local business owners. The inaugural festival aimed to raise awareness about the state’s dwindling wild turkey population, which had dropped to approximately 7,000 birds by the mid-1940s, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Over the years, the event became infamous for the controversial practice of dropping live turkeys from airplanes, a tradition that began in 1948. However, when the Mid-Marion County Rotary Club took over the festival in 2018, organizers discontinued turkey drops and shifted the focus to preserving the festival’s family-friendly atmosphere.
Held annually on the second weekend of October, the Turkey Trot now serves as a celebration of community and a reflection of the traditions that have shaped Yellville for decades.