Big Tom, World's Largest Turkey, was accidentally destroyed before this year's Turkey Day Festival in Frazee, Minnesota. The 22-foot turkey, a prominent town park fixture since 1986, was being secretly renovated on July 1st when a blowtorch ignited the insulation. The entire statue burst into flame!

Fire departments from neighboring towns poured in to stop the blaze. All that remained in the end was a pile of unrecognizable slag.

A new, improved turkey (fiberglass simulated bronze) was to have arrived in time for the '98 Festival in late July. There are reports that the old turkey was already on the chopping block and slated for replacement before the accidental blaze.

On a visit right after the festival, the Roadside team discovered that the new model failed to arrive in time. A misshapen paper-mache blob painted white (the "egg") sat on the new concrete pedestal, near the charred spot where the old turkey went up. [09/06/1998]

February 10, 2012