nPostednon June 13, 2014
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nChecknout the official website for Churubusco’s four-day Turtle Daysnfestival, and you will see that there is a fish fry and annall-you-can eat dinner, a poker run and a cancer walk, a parade and anfireworks show, dances and BINGO, a tractor pull and cornholentournaments, plus rides and entertainment and loads of food booths.
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nWhatndoes any of that have to do with turtles? you may ask. Well, I leftnout one activity: a turtle race. n
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nButnthat one turtle race isn’t the reason why this annual festivalnis held, and it’s not why Churubusco, Indiana, is linked in people’snminds with turtles.
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No,nthe real reason for the turtle connection is the Beast of ‘Busco:
No,nthe real reason for the turtle connection is the Beast of ‘Busco:n
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n Anturtle named Oscar.
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nAngiant turtle, as big as a dining room table.
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n Anmysterious lake monster!
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nItnall began in 1898, when a man named Oscar Fulk claimed he saw a giantnsnapping turtle living in a 7-acre lake on his land. Nobody seemed tonbelieve his story. I guess he didn’t have the best P.R. people. n
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nWaynlater, in the summer of 1948, two men out on that same lake claimednthat they saw a giant turtle, larger than their boat. They told thencurrent owner of the lake what they saw.
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nSoonnthe lake owner spotted the huge turtle, too, and then more and morenlocal people came to the lake, and some of them reported seeing angiant turtle as well. Newspapers and radio began to run stories onnthe lake monster, and people came from far and wide.
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nManynpeople didn’t want to just see the beast – they wanted to capturenit!
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Itnwas a simpler time, I’ve read – a time when there was no televisionnbroadcasts in the area, and certainly no internet! In the winter ofn1949 there was a lot of interest in finding the turtle, who had beennnamed Oscar after the original farmer who said he’d spotted thenbeast. People came up with all sorts of schemes for catching a giantnturtle – from nets to traps to contraptions. People even brought upna female sea turtle from Florida to try to lure Oscar (who may or maynnot have been a female, especially given the fact it may or may notneven have existed!!!). But none of the schemes worked. n
Itnwas a simpler time, I’ve read – a time when there was no televisionnbroadcasts in the area, and certainly no internet! In the winter ofn1949 there was a lot of interest in finding the turtle, who had beennnamed Oscar after the original farmer who said he’d spotted thenbeast. People came up with all sorts of schemes for catching a giantnturtle – from nets to traps to contraptions. People even brought upna female sea turtle from Florida to try to lure Oscar (who may or maynnot have been a female, especially given the fact it may or may notneven have existed!!!). But none of the schemes worked. nn
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nEithernOscar was one smart turtle…or he / she / it didn’t exist. I knownwhich explanation I’d put my money on!
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nReadnmore about the hunt for Oscar here.
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nIfnyou live near a lake…
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n…Thinknahead and start a rumor about a lake monster. The fabled Oscar putnChurubusco on the map, and of course the Loch Ness Monster made LochnNess super famous.
You can do the same for your local lake!nStart some rumors—the bigger, the better! Your children and yournchildren’s children will thank you!
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nAlsonon this date:
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nAnniversarynof King Ludwig’s mysterious death
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nBirthdaysnof environmental artists Jeanne-Claude and Christo
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SamurainMiyamoto Musashi’s birthday
SamurainMiyamoto Musashi’s birthdayn
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nJunen holidays
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nJunen birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in June
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nJulyn holidays
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nJulyn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in July
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