Hall’s Hill Turkey Bowl

If it’s 10:00 AM on Thanksgiving morning in Hall’s Hill, it’s time for the Turkey Bowl. The Turkey Bowl may be the most significant sports rivalry found along Langston Boulevard, yet many residents know little about the historic game. Started in the late 1940s to early 1950s, the Hall’s Hill Turkey Bowl pits the “Old Heads” (over 30) wearing maroon against the “Young Heads” (under 30) wearing gold in a neighborhood game of full-contact football without pads. This game has been a community tradition in Hall’s Hill/High View Park since the once predominantly Black neighborhood was cut off from neighboring White communities by the “segregation wall,” a seven-foot concrete and block symbol of past discriminatory practices. It has become a symbol of community pride and camaraderie. 

Long-time resident Saundra Green thinks of the game as a homecoming. It’s a chance for those who have left the neighborhood to return and celebrate its cultural heritage. The Hall’s Hill/High View Park neighborhood faces rapid change and gentrification, where only 22% of the residents are now Black. Still, the Turkey Bowl still provides the environment for a homecoming. For the food, music, and the excitement of the game, families return to celebrate and participate in a long-held community tradition that ties them to the generations before. 

The game has taken place in multiple locations over the years but has now settled into the field at High View Park. While the game is serious fare, with referees, a chain crew, an announcer, and trophies, the neighborhood celebration around it is much more relaxed. Locals visit and cheer from lawn chairs, children play in the park, and a peanut gallery lines the fence overlooking the game. And, in the true spirit of the corridor, everyone is welcome to come watch the game and celebrate this fantastic community tradition.