As is customary, the King Turkey Day honorary turkey and parade marshal were announced during the annual mixer event Thursday at the downtown pavilion in Worthington.
This year’s honorary turkey is Brad “Skinny” Behrends. He grew up watching his mother serve several years on the KTD board and his father being on the KTD race team. In 2004, Behrends was honored with the opportunity to be on the KTD race team. He then served for several years on the KTD board on various committees, and he established and introduced the very first “Smokin’ Gobbler Cook Off” to the festival.
Behrends’ dedication, talent and heart can be observed through the signs, banners, awards, KTD buttons and designs he has done for years to promote the relationship between Worthington’s King Turkey Day and Cuero’s Turkey Fest.
This year’s King Turkey Day parade marshals, meanwhile, will be Ken and Zuby Jansen.
Worthington’s KTD celebration dates back to 1939, when local native Ken Jansen was 8 years old. He and Zuby have been married 63 years and still work side by side in their Crafty Corner Quilt & Sewing Shoppe business in Worthington. They can also often be seen together in many community events. Ken and Zuby together have witnessed a combined 150 King Turkey Day celebrations, at least.
Behrends, along with the Jansens, will be featured during Saturday’s KTD Grand Parade, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. The parade will follow a celebration of 50 years of turkey racing and the Great Gobbler Gallop, which will be preceded by featured speaker Chuck Foreman at 12:30 p.m. on 10th Street.
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