If you were to take a stroll in McKinney’s historic district, you are almost guaranteed to see a few inflatable turkeys hanging out in people’s yards. Some of them are simply sitting there. Some are small. Some are 25 feet tall. Some have accessories. Some aren’t even turkeys, but dinosaurs in disguise. It’s all part of a massive tradition that started in 2016, when 6 neighbors on North Church Street decided to collectively buy the turkeys for their yards. Since then, the trend has reached almost 700 homes, according to the Visit McKinney staff. “Last year we had about 400 turkeys…we’re hoping for maybe a thousand this year,” said Sarah Nolting, who works at Visit McKinney. The city has a website where neighbors can register their turkeys and post information like its name, location and a backstory. Some neighbors go all out. “Turk runs on caffeine and nicotine,” said Jared Tye, who joined the tradition last year. “He has more ex-wives than feathers. And, yeah, he’s kind of the rebel turkey, but he’s our turkey.” “Turk the Trucker” in Tye’s front yard in McKinney. Others take a different approach. “His turkey name is Tygobblesaurus Rex,” said Kendra Scofield, the owner of the disguised dinosaur who is neither inflatable nor a turkey. “My in-laws, they’re the ones who told me to to put them on the map. And I was like, they’re not gonna accept him. He’s not a, you know, a fully inflatable turkey…so I wrote a little story and submitted him. And then when they accepted him, I was like, oh my God, my turkey made it!” “Tygobblesaurus Rex”, the “inflatable turkey” standing in front of Scofield’s home in McKinney. The turkeys have gained so much popularity that people have started doing tours of the city, just like how some families will walk around to look at Christmas lights in December. One group got together for an unofficial bike tour. “You know, I’m glad that the folks took the time to do this,” said Jeff Hays, a member of a retiree biking group.”And it’s a nice little tour-de-turkey as we call it.” Regardless of how the turkeys look, Nolting says the turkeys give McKinney a surprise factor. “We’ve had visitors come into and ask us, ‘What’s the deal with the turkeys? said Nolting. “Because it’s not something you see in every city. It’s not like Christmas and Halloween.” And the neighbors who take part in the tradition feel the same way. “I’m from Austin, and there’s that ‘Keep Austin Weird,’ said Scofield. “I think there’s like the Art of McKinney. There’s the, the funkiness that McKinney has that not all of the neighborhoods or towns up here have. So I think it’s just something that makes McKinney a little fun and whimsical, something that’s a little bit interesting.” Anyone who wants to tour the turkeys can see their locations and plan a route on the city’s website. ...read more read less