Turkey Testicle Festival Gets Competition

The owner of a suburban Chicago pub that has held an annual Turkey Testicle Festival for 32 years isn't testy at all that a nearby community plans to host its own celebration of the unusual dish this November. J.R. Westberg, who owns the Parkside Pub in Huntley, told the Daily Herald that his only criticism of East Dundee's plan for its own event the day before Thanksgiving is the organizers' lack of originality. They gave it the exact same name and scheduled it for the same date and time. The Huntley festival often attracts more than 4,000 people to snack on the deep-fried turkey bits, which some attendees consider a "dare food" and prefer doused in ranch dressing or Tabasco sauce.

East Dundee businessman Cliff Surges says there's enough interest to support both festivals and that the new one will target a different demographic. Surges hopes to draw 1,000 to 2,000 people to East Dundee's event, which he says will be "family-oriented." Like the Huntley festival, the new one will raise money for charity. "It's one of those silly things you can have some fun with and do some good with," Surges says. (More festival stories.)