The 73rd annual King Turkey Day festival is upon us this weekend, and the festivities in store are looking bigger and better than ever. The actual "King Turkey Day" name is a bit of a misnomer, as a full slate of KTD events are actually scheduled for Friday, too. (A complete list can be viewed at dglobe.com.)
There is one significant difference with this year's festival: location. Many KTD events, for the first time, will be at the Nobles County Fairgrounds, which event organizers said allows additional space and power hook-ups necessary to help Worthington's biggest celebration to continue its expansion.
The big Saturday parade, of course, will remain downtown, as well as such KTD mainstays as the Turkey Day 10K, the YMCA 5K Family Fun Walk, the featured speaker and Great Gobbler Gallop. Many activities, though, will take place at the fairgrounds, a change that has been called into question by some.
Having a tradition like King Turkey Day continue for 73 years is a marvelous feat, one that has been made possible through the efforts of countless numbers of people. But, the festival has evolved over the years, and will no doubt continue to do so. The event's board of directors, in fulfilling its mission to host a memorable festival for residents and visitors of this community, carefully considered its options and made what we're sure was not a snap decision.
Yes, all KTD events may not be downtown, but the fairgrounds space does offer more room for events as well as parking. We urge people to give the change a chance, and are confident the festival will by no means be the worse for wear. In fact, given the schedule this year, it looks there is one part of the festival name that is right: King.
