World's Largest Turkey

Frazee, Minnesota

July 1, 1998. Frazee, Minnesota. On a hilltop overlooking the western entrance to this peaceful town, members of Frazee's maintenance department are secretly laboring over Big Tom -- the 22-foot-tall beloved civic symbol of this, the Turkey Capital of the World -- working against the clock to get BT shipshape for Frazee's upcoming Turkey Days festival. With a blowtorch.

The turkey installed on September 19, 1998.

Suddenly, calamity!

An errant tongue of superheated flame ignites one of the legs of the highly combustible paper mache gobbler. Within seconds, Big Tom is wrapped in a death mantle of black smoke, its body feeding the insatiable fire like grandma feeding gruel to a Thanksgiving season orphanage. Fire departments from neighboring towns rush in to contain the blaze -- much to the embarrassment of Frazee's maintenance crew -- but it's already too late. All that remains is a pile of unrecognizable slag.

For the first time in a dozen years the Turkey Days festival goes on without Big Tom. His charred pedestal of honor is occupied by a crudely shaped paper mache egg.

But not for long! The cycle of civic symbol life comes full circle on September 19 -- when a new, improved Big Tom arrived in town (on order from F.A.S.T.), once again providing the visual gravy to Frazee's meaty boast.

[Note: Even though Frazee received by far its most publicity ever because of Big Tom's fiery exit, and even though we personally can't resist a good tourist attraction fire photo, we do not encourage the immolation of large, weather-beaten, combustible civic symbols by other towns.]