Turtle Racing

For over a year I've been getting weekly text messages from my friend Heather. They come every Thursday afternoon and invite me to "turtle races".

Every week I want to go but something or another always seems to be in the way. That is, until this past Thursday. When I finally got to see some turtles race!

There is an area set up that the crowd encircles. A DJ picks a volunteer from the crowd who stands in the middle of the circle:

That white bucket has no bottom. And inside are 8 turtles. When the countdown reaches zero, the turtles are given a taste of freedom!

They race to the outer circle while the crowd cheers for their favorites!

The first turtle to reach outside the circle is the winner!

Sound simple? Maybe even a little dumb? It's not. Don't believe me? Then you need to get out to Midtown next Thursday for the event. The energy is electric and the turtles are adorable! And don't worry, I've been assured they are well taken care of with pre-race pep talks and post-race massages.