Turkey bowling: Gobbles of fun?

Sports bar fans saw a new pastime played reportedly for the first time in Carson City on Thanksgiving eve.

The top sport at Bully's Sport's Bar Wednesday night was not football, basketball or hockey. It was turkey bowling.

The first female contestant of the night, Kristi Plume, rolled a gutter ball -- or perhaps a Butterball -- but came back to knock down eight pins with a 20-pound frozen, unwrapped bird.

"Eeewww," she said. "It was gross."

She was referring to that cold, greasy feeling on her hands after she rolled the turkey down a short lane.

Plume said she was sitting at the bar with a friend when the bartender asked her to sign up for the contest. By 8:20 p.m., only five players has signed up, even though the bar was almost full.

But when the last call for turkey bowling went up, more than a dozen bowlers clamored to get a chance to roll the icy, rock-hard bird down the lane and win beer and liquor prizes.

"That's slick," said bowler Scott Sheldon, after using his left-handed stance to roll an eight.

He was followed by Nick Sayan, who threw a strike.

"That feels swell," Sayan said as he wiped his hand on Sheldon's shirt.

Turkey bowling is new to Carson City, but Bully's officials said they hope to make it an annual pre-Thanksgiving Day attraction, like the event at one of their Reno locations.

Some spectators wondered out loud what would be done with the battered bird after a night of bowling with it.

Most said they felt no amount of basting or gravy would save it. Some even cried "fowl" over what they said was wasted food.