Turtle Days… a brief history

As the Town gathers to celebrate the 71st annual Turtle Days festival, the Churubusco Chamber of Commerce wishes to reflect on the history of the festival and the impact it has had on the community.

Turtle Days began in 1950, a year after the Hunt for Oscar. According to Town historian, Chuck Jones, the intent of Turtle Days was to help raise money to build a community park. The event was held in downtown Churubusco for a few years before moving to it’s current home- Churubusco Community Park- in the mid-1950’s. Turtle Days has continued to assist in making our Park better and give an annual donation to the Park after the festival. Past donations have included new picnic tables, the pier at the wetland, playground equipment, and contributing to the cost of Park security cameras.  

There are many Turtle Days traditions that have stood the test of time including the Miss Turtle Days pageant, nightly raffles, the Parade, and everyone’s favorite Turtle Days event- the annual Turtle Races. “I began the Turtle Races in, I believe, 1969,” says Chuck Jones, “and they’ve been going ever since.” While the Races have changed locations a few times over the years (previous locations have included the school parking lot, high school track, Diamond 1, and currently the Park’s basketball courts), it continues to be the festival’s most popular event. Over the years, participants and turtle enthusiasts have traveled from all over the country to race turtles and witness the unique (and, quite possibly, one-of-a-kind) event. The Churubusco Chamber of Commerce is proud to sponsor the annual Turtle Races as it has done since the tradition began. We encourage everyone to come join the free event on Friday, June 18. Registration begins at 5:30 with the races starting at 6:30.

Turtle Days is not just a week full of fun, but an integral part of the community. The festival is attended by people of all ages and for one week of the year, it is responsible for bringing thousands of visitors to our town. Those same visitors are also eating at our restaurants, getting gas at our gas stations, and picking up last minute items at our stores thus benefitting Churubusco’s business owners and pumping money into our local economy. The Churubusco Chamber of Commerce understands the importance of the festival and the impact Turtle Days has to our members. We encourage you to support and visit this year’s festival and invite you to help make future festivals a success by volunteering with the Turtle Days Association.

Hope to see you at Turtle Days!

-Madalyn Sade-Bartl

Vice-President, Churubusco Chamber & Secretary, Turtle Days Association