Turkey Trot set for Thursday

ENAVILLE - Fun and friendly, the annual Turkey Trot is a Thanksgiving day tradition in the Silver Valley.

The registration fee is only $2, the hospitality is genuine, and the course - a sinuous stretch along the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes - is scenic as can be. Not to mention the gooey cinnamon rolls, hot chocolate, orange juice and raffle prizes.

"Everyone's a winner here," said Joe Peak, owner of the Enaville Resort (the "Snakepit"), the historic restaurant that hosts the Turkey Trot every year. "It's not a race, it's an event."

The trot kicks off Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the Snakepit parking lot.

"We like to have people arrive a little earlier," Peak said. "We ask people to bring a little raffle prize. Baked goods go a long way ... bottle of cheap wine ..."

The course is 2.5 miles out, 2.5 miles back, but runners can turn around whenever they want. After the trot, youngsters will pick out raffle tickets and pass out prizes.

Peak and his wife, Rose Mary, have owned the Snakepit since 1978. The Turkey Trot began in the early 80's, when a handful of local runners got together on Thanksgiving morning for an impromptu jaunt.

"I think about '83, we said, 'Why don't you come to our place?'" Peak recalled.

It's grown considerably since those early days - close to 90 runners participated in last year's event.