Valley Girl Views: The Bloomsburg Danville Turkey Day Games

"The Turkey Day Tilt"

Each year, Bloomsburg & Danville played football on Thanksgiving Day.

According to a 1952 article in the Bloomsburg Morning News, the annual Thanksgiving game began in 1922, and was cancelled twice in the 1930s. Once when Bloomsburg didn't have a team, and once when the snow was too deep on Danville's field.

1938 - Game Cancelled Due to Weather

"The Danville Ironmen burst onto the Bloomsburg football field with colors waving and music blaring for the traditional Turkey Day game that had been held every year, except 1933, since 1919. A game when the bleachers were always filled with cheering fans."

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Game Film

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In 1932, a "motion pictures" were taken of the game. The reel was shown at the theater in Danville.

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A 1952 article in the Bloomsburg Morning News talks about the games, and also the game & race at Berwick.

"INSOFAR as sports are concerned in Bloomsburg, Thanksgiving isn't what it used to be. There just isn't anything doing in the athletic phase of living on the holiday and that has been the case for some years now. There doesn't appear to be any Indication of change in the immediate future. Some still are hoping the Bloomsburg Danville football game will go back to Turkey Day but after the experience of this year, when the game was rained out on the original date and then played later, chances are that the authorities will be happy to stay as they are and thus have chance for change when the weather conditions are adverse. At Berwick If you want activity of the athletic nature in the immediate area, thee, you can go to Berwick where have the annual and nationally famous marathon and a football game between the Bulldogs Newport.

The Berwick athletic program of today is definite illustration of the change that has come about in sports. There was a time when Berwick's race dominated all sports activity Thanksgiving within at least a thirty-mile radius of the town. Or anyway that's the manner in which it was treated. But not any more. Football Is King For some years now, football has been king.

It may be authorities soon will decide to get all of its games out of. the way before Turkey Day and then the race will once more dominate. But until that occurs the boys who travel on the double quick in their BVD's will have to play a supporting role to the twenty-two who chase a football. Back thirty years or so, Bloomsburg High used to play its Thanksgiving football game in the morning so as not to conflict with the race. They did the same thing in Berwick in more recent years.

And it always appeared as though the weatherman took keen delight in featuring exceptionally low temperatures and biting winds for those morning shindigs on frozen gridirons. That circumstance, plus the fact that the women football fans couldn't get away from the kitchen to attend morning games, led to the Berwick High School decision to play in the afternoon, the marathon notwithstanding. Soon after that, the marathon was set up as a morning event. But that had its drawbacks, too. Many of the competing athletes found it impossible to get to Berwick that early and the crowd wasn't so good in the morning.

So they hit upon the present workable program. Now you can 500 the runners start out and then hustle to the football game, watch a half and then see the runners finish at the field at intermission. It makes for a full afternoon and it has been so successful that it is probably going to be followed Just as long as these events are part of the sports menu of Berwick on Thanksgiving Day. East- -West There was a substantial period in which Bloomsburg was always sure of a sports event. It was the annual clash between the football forces of the East and West ends of the town.

Maybe the football wasn't so good, but there is no event on the record books of Bloomsburg that has provided so many memories as that sectional clash. One of those was revived over the weekend when Marcus (Max) Harlem, now sales manager for Magee Carpet Company in the Baltimore area, paid a visit here. Harlem was often the man who marshalled the forces of the West End. On one Thanksgiving, the East End was on hand and ready to play at ten o'clock, the scheduled hour. Only a few West End performers were present and these did not include Harlem.

He had overslept and didn't reach the field until a quarter of twelve. Highly indignant when told the East End had tired of waiting and left, Harlem declared, "Sure, they knew when they were well off. They couldn't wait a few minutes. They had to run home and thus escape a beating." The Vest Man Then there was Bill Ferguson, another of the West End main springs. Bill didn't show up in a suit but he was always well padded with vests.

And as the game continued and Bill got warmer he would start shedding them. His most popular play was from."Airplane formation" whatever that was. Hell would get back of center, yell a couple of numbers, shed a vest, repeat the performance two or three times and finally get the ball. When it worked - well, "Airplane formation" never cost the West End more than ten yards. Dressed Up The game started and continued through most of its existence as sort of a pickup affair. Then it was dressed up and sponsored by the Elks for their charity fund.

At that time the High, School and College loaned outfits and the busiest fellow in the place was the one who was trying to keep track of the suits. There was a sizable sum tied up in equipment and, it had to be returned. Often it was the middle of Thanksgiving afternoon until chasers had rounded up all the borrowed armor and returned it to the lenders. The failure to get who would assume that responsibility was the main reason that the event was called off. Another was that the weatherman frequently failed to cooperate.

The East End, by and large, dominated the games. They started out with Harry K. Gilmore and the Moyer twins and they never relinquished the strangle hold they early attained on the series. But when it came to color the East End couldn't hold a candle to those from the western. part of town led by Harlem, Ferguson and Harold (Fat) Arbuckle who once played a game on a muddy field and d didn't even get his trousers splattered."

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