Take one remote controlled truck named “Big Red” and six turkeys, put them in a small race track, and what do you get?
The Wild West Turkey Stampede Races, of course.
Created six years ago by Nancy and Gil Riegler, The Wild West Turkey Stampede Races were thought up because they wanted to “come up with something for the fair that is really weird, but attracts people of all sorts,” Nancy said.
Nancy narrates the show and tells the audience what they’re about and how no turkeys are harmed or chased, but the other way around. By putting feed in the bed of Big Red, the turkeys chase the remote control truck and according to Nancy, they are already on Big Red number 10, because the turkeys have killed nine already.
Nancy then explains to the audience what type of turkey they are and how each team is placed with both toms and hens. The type of turkey they use mature slowly, because once the turkeys get older it is no longer a race, but an “awkward educational show.”
From Ramona, in San Diego County, the Rieglers belong to the Western Fairs Organization and travel seven months out of the year, and love what they do.
“It’s so weird and there’s nothing like it anywhere. The turkeys are the stars of the show and once the chasing starts it’s so much fun to watch. You see pigs and goats and stuff at fairs, but turkeys racing? Turkeys are just weird; they’re the throwback to a freak show. They’re so crazy looking,” Nancy said.
The Rieglers purchase the turkeys as chicks and then raise them together so that they all get along and once they are old enough to mate, all they have to do is separate the toms and hens with a curtain to keep them from fighting each other. Nancy said that they stay away from certain breeds of turkeys and that they use the heritage breeds for their shows because they are the closest to the wild turkey without actually being wild.
They like to stay in California because not only is that where the Rieglers are from, but they feel it’s the best for the turkeys.
“To be honest, traveling is hard on the turkeys. When we go from fair to fair we won’t travel more then eight hours a day. They even have air conditioning in their trailer- they’re the luckiest turkeys ever born,” Nancy said.
Nancy said that what she enjoys most about traveling and turkey racing is people’s reactions.
“We’re kind of like a painter or a songwriter. Everything about the show is completely our own creation. All of the jokes and the narrations are all thought of by us,” Nancy said. “People can either hate it or love it and the right reaction is very rewarding. I feel so much pride from these turkeys. It sounds sad, but I love it though!”
The Rieglers also own America’s only Camel dairy and shot an episode of “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe” a few months ago.
“Airing in October, it will be a whole hour of Mike trying to milk camels, which not only is funny, but interesting because people don’t know how camel milk is good for you,” Nancy said.
Nancy encourages people to go out and support their local fairs, and to come and see their show too. “Fairs are an economical entertainment; you can come and see free shows like ours or spend money, there is such a diverse culture here. Come see our show, the saddest mid-life crisis two 47-year-old adults could go through,” she grinned.