April 23, 2024
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A whole flock of them came over: Random turkey photo becomes Seneca man’s Thanksgiving tradition

Robert Anselme: ‘It was unreal, the sound. I’ll never forget it.’

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
Robert Anselme of Seneca took this photo of his son Alex in 1996. The family had a stopped along a back road while driving back to Illinois from a vacation in Minnesota. As the turkeys rushed toward Alex, Anselme snapped the photo, which he shares each year as part of his Thanksgiving greeting to friends and family.

Robert Anselme of Seneca took this photo of his son Alex in 1996. The family had a stopped along a back road while driving back to Illinois from a vacation in Minnesota. As the turkeys rushed toward Alex, Anselme snapped the photo, which he shares each year as part of his Thanksgiving greeting to friends and family. (Photo courtesy of Robert Anselme)

Robert Anselme of Seneca loves talking turkey this time of year – and sharing his favorite Thanksgiving photos with loved ones.

The photo is one Anselme took of his son Alex in 1996, when Alex was just 6 years old, Anselme said. The family had taken a trip to Walker Lake, Minnesota, and was heading back to Illinois.

The trip alone was memorable for another, more poignant reason.

“It was the last summer I got to spend with my mother,” Anselme said.

Now whenever Anselme travels, he often seeks out the back roads, which he did during this instance, too.

But Anselme didn’t expect this particular route to create a unique experience for Alex and a memory Anselme would relive year after year.

“We came across a turkey farm,” Anselme said. “And they all started coming over to him and gobbling. It was unreal, the sound. I’ll never forget it.”

Naturally, Anselme captured the moment with his camera.

Anselme said he displays that photo every year. He also takes a photo of that photo and then sends it to his friends with a “Happy Thanksgiving” greeting.

Because, why not?

“It’s just a fun, fun picture,” Anselme said. “I thought, ‘Hey, people need to see something that’s cute.’ ”

Anselme, a retired pipefitter who’s also filmed a commercial and done some voice-over work, had a dream-come-true experience in 2021 when he was chosen for the virtual wall on the long-running game show “Let’s Make a Deal.”

[ No deal for Seneca man on long-running game show ]

For the show, Anselme wore his Halloween costume, which was a cross between B-horror movie host Svengoolie and a former host from the old “Creature Feature” series.

Anselme then sat for eight hours a day in front of his laptop for three days, which lacked the energy of a being part of a live audience, he felt.

“It was a lot of work,” Anselme said. “I’m more of a serious person. They want you to clap and jump around and show enthusiasm.”