Yuba City celebrates Great Turkey Smoke-Out

Shamaya Sutton, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·3 min read

Nov. 22—The smell of smoke filled the air on Wednesday as drivers searched for parking on the residential streets of a suburban neighborhood in south Yuba City.

It was only 8 a.m., but the party was already well underway at Jim King's annual Great Turkey Smoke-Out.

"It's about the connection and getting to see everyone in the community," said Erica Hernandez as she assembled warm bowls of pozole for guests. "We all know that we're going to show up this morning and with us all being so busy right now, it's a good time to catch up."

Hernandez is the regional manager at Sutter Medical Foundation in Yuba City and the vice president for Yuba-Sutter-Colusa United Way. Other prominent community members in the crowd included John Nicoletti, John Cassidy, Brad McIntire, Wade Kirchner, and Jeff Stephens, just to name a few.

Stephens, who recently announced his bid for the Sutter County Board of Supervisors District 5 race, has been attending this event for four years now and looked forward to delivering 15 smoked turkeys to Habitat for Humanity later in the day. But Habitat wasn't the only group to benefit from this year's fiery endeavor. King also chose to raise funds for Wreaths Across America and Hug A Hero in addition to helping a local family in need. To support this, a $20 donation was requested for each smoked bird and King estimates completing at least 75.

"Jim is very generous and does so many different community events throughout the year," said Traci Hanson, contently warming herself next to the fire pit. "Plus the smoked turkey tastes amazing, it's very distinct."

At 20 minutes past 8 a.m., the arrival of Gary Gelfand with FOX40 news greatly excited the backyard crowd. Gelfand has been covering local events throughout the Sacramento region for quite some time and frequently visits the Yuba-Sutter area for work. Some of his favorite memories include the Turkey Smoke-Out and racing down Plumas Street in a go-cart with John Buckland, who was then the mayor of Yuba City.

Gelfand first caught wind of this event through Cassidy, the former CEO of Sierra Central Credit Union and a Turkey Smoke-Out "original."

"I've been coming to this since Jim started this 23 years ago," said Cassidy. "Jim is such a give-back guy, it's unbelievable. When they line up all those ice chests later, it's just a staggering sight. ... It really shows the soul of this community."

King first started the event with a handful of friends in the year 2000. It was the day before Thanksgiving and the conversation revolved around different turkey brines which eventually led to the idea of doing a backyard smoke-out. As the years went by, the event grew bigger and bigger, eventually turning into the staple holiday tradition that it is today.

"Everything that we raise goes to a family or organization in our town," said King. "In Sutter, we're trying to place more wreaths on veteran gravesites and also we want to get more coats for kids, stuff like that. Tradition wise, it's cool to have a small town that has a tradition like this and I enjoy reconnecting with all the people I don't get to see as often throughout the year."

Those that missed this smoking event can still catch some of King's cooking at his restaurant, Rolling Stones Pizza Company, located inside New Earth Market in Yuba City. For more information, call 530-673-9355 or email rollingstonepizzayc@gmail.com.