Contestants talk turkey at annual event
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Turkey enthusiasts from throughout the southeast will flock to Ozark, Ala., as West Florida Electric and other Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives sponsor the 34th Annual Alabama State Turkey Calling Contest Sat., Feb. 26, at the Flowers Center for Performing Arts in Ozark, Ala. This contest isn’t “for the birds” – it’s sanctioned by the Alabama State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, or NWTF, and hosted by the Southeast Alabama Chapter. WFEC will join Pea River Electric Cooperative, of Ozark, Ala.; Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, of Hartford, Ala.; and South Alabama Electric Cooperative, of Troy, Ala., and Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, of Prattville, Ala., as the event’s top sponsors.
Any current NWTF member is eligible to compete; however, contestants must present a membership card at registration. Memberships will be available for anyone who is not a current member but wishes to compete. Memberships are $30 for adults and $5 for age 17 or under. The Alabama State Championship Division is limited to Alabama residents only, but residents of Alabama, Georgia and Florida are encouraged to register for the Tri-State Open.
The top three finishers in each of the contest’s six divisions will “gobble up” cash prizes and trophies. Divisions will include Tri-State Open, Two-Man, Friction, Owling, Junior and Alabama State Championship. Caller registration forms and entry fees are due Jan. 31. Registration will begin at 8 a. m., and the contest will start at 9:30 a. m. Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per youth and free for children age 12 and under.
In conjunction with the contest, an outdoors expo with vendors and youth activities will be held in the Ozark Civic Center adjacent to the Flowers Center for the Performing Arts. A silent auction featuring various collectible wild turkey and NWTF memorabilia also is planned.
For additional information about the contest, call (334)774-5571 or (334)445-9818 before 10 p.m. CST; write the Alabama State Turkey Calling Contest, c/o Frank Estes, 407 County Club Dr., Ozark, AL 36360; or e-mail estes@snowhill.com or mlcook@peoplepc.com.
The NWTF is a half-million-member grassroots, nonprofit organization supporting scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands, as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport. As the leader in wild turkey conservation and hunting, the NWTF serves as the leading sanctioning-body for turkey calling contests, in which entrants attempt, before a panel of judges, to reproduce the many calls of the wild turkey. For additional information about the NWTF, log on to www.nwtf.org.
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