February 20, 2010

The Marion County Courthouse, located in Yellville, has been the site of one of the most controversial activities to occur during the annual Turkey Trot Festival. The festival, which started in the 1940s, gained national attention with an activity called the Turkey Drop, in which a live turkey was tossed from the courthouse roof. Over time, the drop changed to involve dropping the fowl from a low-flying plane. Negative publicity eventually put an end to the “official” drop, though some still carry out the drops unofficially.