THE REST IS GRAVY

Austin’s turkey day tradition trots back with hybrid event for 2021

Don't be a turkey. Register for the trot today.

Photo courtesy of ThunderCloud Subs

The Capital City’s favorite charitable Thanksgiving Day tradition — which many Austinites flock to in full turkey regalia — is returning this fall with plans for an in-person and virtual event.

Registration for the 31st annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot, which benefits Caritas of Austin, is now open.

Though 2020’s Turkey Trot was an entirely virtual event, thanks to the pandemic, Austinites can count their blessings that the event is back this year with an in-person component — at least that’s the current plan.

Organizers of the beloved holiday event announced Wednesday, September 22, the first day of the fall season, that they have their sights set on a hybrid event that will include both virtual and in-person components, with specific details and safety protocols approved by Austin Public Health to be announced as turkey day nears.

“Thanks to the success of last year’s fully virtual Trot and the enthusiasm of people around the country and around the world, the virtual component will continue as a tradition in 2021 and beyond, regardless of the design of the in-person Trot this year,” organizers say via a release.

So, let’s talk turkey: Virtual participants will run or walk on Thanksgiving Day in their own neighborhoods — or wherever they happen to be — while other birds of a feather wing it to the Long Center for the start of the 5-mile run through downtown Austin. (Again, assuming the in-person portion of the event will happen.)

A cherished local Thanksgiving Day custom, the Turkey Trot first strutted into Austin in 1991, attracting about 600 participants. Now the event holds the distinction of being the largest 5-mile run in Texas, boasting more than 700 volunteers and over 20,000 local, national, and worldwide trotters. Even last year’s COVID-driven virtual event attracted nearly 7,000 participants.

Sure, part of the fascination involves the opportunity to don the most outrageous costumes (those turkey leg hats never get old), but inspiring most Austinites to go wild turkey and join the trot is likely the fact that the event entirely benefits Caritas of Austin, the local nonprofit that works to prevent and end homelessness in the Austin community. To date, the Turkey Trot has raised more than $4.4 million for the nonprofit.

Caritas has employed those funds wisely, breaking ground earlier this year on its very first residential center, Espero Rutland, which will provide 171 studio apartments and supportive services for those struggling with homelessness in the Austin community.

“Caritas of Austin needs our support more than ever to continue helping thousands of people to get off the streets, realize their full potential, and contribute to our community,” says Mike Haggerty, co-owner of ThunderCloud and executive director of the trot.

Registration for this year’s event ranges from $10 for the Stepping Stone School Kids K to $27 for the timed 5-mile run/walk, with prices increasing Wednesday, October 6. And, of course, registrants can score the traditional long-sleeved T-shirt (a must-have for any true Austinite), or opt for a $10 gift card to ThunderCloud Subs, a headband and wristbands, or a bandana.

This year’s event will offer multiple dates for socially distanced packet pickup at sponsor First Texas Honda. Alternately, packets can be shipped to participants for an extra charge.

And First Texas Honda will once again donate a new Honda Accord for the raffle ($25 per ticket or five tickets for $100), with all proceeds benefiting Caritas. Tickets can be purchased online or at the packet pickup location between now and Thanksgiving Day.

“All of us at ThunderCloud Subs are very grateful for the support of our customers and community,” Haggerty says. “They make it possible for us to continue to put on the Trot to give back, even in these challenging times.”

For more information and updates about this year’s Turkey Trot, visit www.thundercloud.com.

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Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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