Some places are just turkeys

 June is national Turkey Lovers’ Month, but today is the top holiday for the consumption of Thanksgiving’s traditional bird, according to the National Turkey Federation — although some cities just can’t get away from being turkeys throughout the year.

Three communities in the United States are named after the holiday’s traditional main course: Turkey, Texas, the most populous in 2008, with 456 residents, followed by Turkey Creek, La., with a population of 361, and Turkey, N.C., with a population of 272, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Nine townships named Turkey also are around the country and three of those are in Kansas.

Residents also live in communities called Cranberry or similar sounding places. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that there is a Cranbury, N.J., and two Cranberry townships in Pennsylvania.

Then Plymouth, Minn., is among places named Plymouth, as in Plymouth Rock, the landing site of the first Pilgrims. A township named Pilgrim is in Missouri, and then there is Mayflower, Ark.

Meanwhile, the Texas Farm Bureau recently released its first Turkey Day price watch, noting that the cost in the Lone Star State for the 16 basic Thanksgiving Day items, turkey and fixings, came in at $31.99.

And that’s no joke, either.

"This being our first year to launch the Grocery Price Watch surveys, we have no comparison to offer on how this year’s prices might compare to those before," said Kenneth Dierschke, TFB’s president, in a press statement.

"These prices will, however, serve as benchmark for future Thanksgiving Day comparisons," he added.

Still, Dierschke said, the average Texas shopper is paying a lot less than shoppers for turkeys and fixings in other parts of the country. He said that the American Farm Bureau Federation’s price analysis showed an average cost of $42.91.

"It is our sincere hope that as your family gathers around the Thanksgiving Day table, you remember the many men and women in this fine state who work each day to make sure we all enjoy an abundance of safe and delicious food for our families," Dierschke said. "Their dedication and commitment makes such occasions possible, and we couldn’t thank them enough for all they do."