The story of the Mass. town that rallied around a fearless turkey with a limp
Limpy is a sensation. He even has his own fan page.
He hates tires and loves waiting at the commuter rail station for trains he will never board.
The town of Reading has a new unofficial mascot: Limpy the Turkey.
No on seems to know how he got his limp or why he chose this fall to cause chaos around town — wandering through traffic, taking rides on top of mail trucks, and more — but it appears that Limpy is here to stay.
Reading residents have been calling wildlife authorities for weeks, asking what to do about Limpy, but they all have the same message: leave him alone. He’d fly away if he wanted to.
As the town came to accept its newest household name, a Facebook page called “Limpy the Town Turkey” sprung up. The page is home to months’ worth of videos and photos of the odd bird going about his business around Reading.
Many of the videos involve Limpy pecking at cars or weaving through traffic, seemingly unbothered as cars slow and stop for him. The most infamous features him teetering atop a mail truck as passersby shriek his name.
Though some posts are complaints about the bird obstructing roadways and generally causing a ruckus, the page is largely made up of fans who spot Limpy around town and even create art in his honor.
Kristen Bruce Lachance’s son in a Limpy shirt.
Limpy-themed pumpkins, drawings, memes, and even cookies have appeared on the page. Numerous residents dressed up as the wobbly bird for Halloween. A “Limpy 2k Trot” is planned for Thanksgiving.
Kristen Bruce Lachance, who started the page, has also turned the Limpy craze into a fundraising effort for the Reading Food Pantry. A local graphic designer created a logo for Limpy, and voila, the donations came pouring in.
A friend of Lachance made Limpy cookies and the duo sold them on Halloween. They started taking orders for magnets and eventually decided to have 250 made. They sold out, and another 250 are on their way.
Between the cookie and magnet revenue alone, Lachance said nearly $1,000 has been donated to the food pantry. But those aren’t the only fundraising efforts.
Limpy cookies created by Jenette Thomas.
Johnny Medina is selling Limpy t-shirts and hoodies and donating $5 of every sale. A local workout studio is holding classes in honor of Limpy over the next couple of weeks and donating the proceeds.
Cupcake City, a local bakery, made Limpy cupcakes just before Halloween and donated 10 percent of their proceeds to the Reading Food Pantry. Lachance said the bakery sold more than 200 of the Limpy treats and matched the donation money.
Limpy cupcakes from Cupcake City.
Lachance said it’s nice to see her town rallying around something so positive.
“Not just in Reading, but in the world there’s a lot of divide and political drama,” she said. “I think that people honestly have just latched onto something that’s so feel-good.”
Lachance’s father has even been talking to the governor’s office about pardoning Limpy for Thanksgiving. Stay tuned.
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