Each and every Thanksgiving, a large majority of Elmhurst participates in the Turkey Trot. The Turkey Trot is a 5K around Elmhurst that you can either run, walk or roller-blade with your friends or family. To create such a leisurely Thanksgiving morning for all of its participants, there is a lot of prep work behind the scenes; Dan Gibbons, the founder of the Turkey Trot is the man who does it all. York-hi decided to ask him some questions to truly reveal the pleasures, and hard work he puts into the trot.

York-hi: What is the key points for the process of the Turkey Trot?

Dan Gibbons:  Some of the key points include: sponsorships, volunteers, permits within the city and county, marketing involving newsprint, posters, brochures, websites, and social media, registration, thank you letters, and fund distribution to designated beneficiaries.

Y: How do you design the t-shirts?

D: We start with our “saying” from Oglethorpe, our turkey mascot, and I sit down with Cherie White, the graphic artist from Special T Unlimited and we spend an afternoon throwing ideas around and what the “setting” should be. This year we had him on a beach, with an umbrella drink, just chillin’……..he made 5K’s cool!

Y: What is your favorite thing about doing the Turkey Trot?

D: When the gun goes off and I see a sea of people running past the start line, Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World”, our signature Start Line song, is playing and everyone is so happy…..waving, smiling…it’s a real feel good! Lastly, writing checks to the major food banks is the final feel good. Helping our hungry neighbors in need!

Every great event requires hard work and dedication to make sure everything goes according to the script, and Dan Gibbons perfects it like no one else!