CHURUBUSCO, Ind. – Get ready for the The 60th Celebration of “Oscar” 2009!

It’s been 60 years since the Town of Churubusco and people from around the world were captivated by headlines of a giant turtle sighted in a nearby lake. A great search for the massive beast took place, but the turtle – dubbed Oscar by the media – got away.

Every year since, the Town of Churubusco has paid homage to the giant turtle – dubbed Oscar – with the annual Turtle Days Festival. It is the longest continuously-running festival of its kind in Indiana. This year’s festival will take place June 17-20.

The Turtle Days Festival committee would like to invite the community to join in this historic occasion. They are asking for residents’ help in filling the Boy Scout building at the Community Park with turtle hunt or festival photos and memorabilia.

The committee is interested in anything and everything about Oscar and Turtle Days. It could be past photos of the hunt for Oscar, current photos of family and friends during a Turtle Days event, previous kings/queens, grand marshals, parade entries, turtle races or even a written memory.

Oscar

During the festival, the photos and memorabilia will be displayed in the Boy Scout building along with continuous-running videos of The Hunt for Oscar, a documentary by Fort Wayne filmmaker,Terry Doran.

A festival committee of 15 board members and volunteers – chaired by Kirk Gray – is busy planning for the anniversary celebration, which will include the traditional events as well as new events, concessions and grand finale fireworks.

For more information call Robin Ramsey at 260-433-6250 or Vivian Sade at 260-241-7737 or 260-693-2473.

(The illustration above  – of Gale Harris meeting Oscar for the first time – was designed by John LeMay of Roswell, NM, and illustrated by Neil Reibe, who lives in Wisconsin. LeMay will publish a book later this year about small towns and the historical events the different communities celebrate. Roswell, NM, is known for alien sightings and many businesses and community events are centered around the alien theme. In his book, LeMay has dedicated a large portion to Churubusco, Ind., and the “turtle” theme which will include some photos and the history of  the hunt for Oscar. LeMay said he realizes that this may not have been the way that Harris first encountered Oscar, but he liked the idea of Harris on a horse – a metaphor maybe, for a cowboy discovering a new frontier. When the book publishes, buscovoice.com will include info on how and where to get a copy.)
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