The Turkey Bowl

When I was about 12 my mom remarried and we joined the Craig family on their 40 acres in the Ohio countryside.  My stepfather was straight out of an alternate universe where it was always 1950.  He and his two sons were fiercely athletic and competitive.  On Thanksgiving they hosted a touch football game--the Turkey Bowl--and friends and family would travel many miles to attend.  There was a goalpost permanently standing on one end of the large, immaculately-kept field that my stepfather used most of the year as his personal golf driving range.  On Turkey Bowl day he would don a black and white referee outfit and lime the field, and then play would begin.  Relatively few bones were broken over the years.  But the Craigs might growl a bit if anyone remarked, "Oh, touch football, just like the Kennedys!"  (After all, one doesn't say such a thing to Republicans.) 

I can't seem to put my hands on any photos of an actual game, but here's one of mom and my stepfather on Turkey Bowl day.  There are a couple of players getting ready behind them, and there is, strangely, a towel hanging from my stepdad's belt buckle.  This was a very important part of the official referee attire. I have no idea why.  (Wait--was it to wipe the ball down when the inevitable rain or snow made the field muddy?)