Bob the Turkey survived Thanksgiving, but the new year didn't bring good luck to the city of Woodstock's beloved, albeit unofficial, mascot.
Bob, who showed up in town about a year ago and decided to settle down and make a home, was hit by a car and killed Sunday afternoon near the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 5 and Woodglen Drive, where he resided, City Clerk Rhonda Pezzello told the AJC Tuesday.
Bob just "showed up out of nowhere and people started seeing him all the time," Pezzello said. "He became an icon." She speculated that he came from some nearby property that used to be a horse farm but said no one really knows for sure.
Pezzello said Bob, who received a Thanksgiving pardon from Mayor Donnie Henriques, was buried near his old stomping grounds, right by the city limit sign on Highway 5. She said people have been leaving flowers and other memorials at the burial site.
She wasn't sure if anyone knows who hit Bob, but said it "would be horrible to be the person who hit him."
The town's love affair with Bob was apparent from his Facebook page, where people posted dozens of messages lamenting the turkey's demise.
One comment came from Ginni Hope, who said she drives a school bus at Woodstock Elementary. "I want all the people out there that say he was just a turkey to understand in the eyes of the children on my bus he was not just a turkey but a fun way to pass the time away on a bus. Everyday they would try to be the first one to spot him. So from bus 79 Bob, Rest In Peace and thank you for making my kids smile!"
Robert Ray Holcombe commented that he would like to see Bob's former home turned into a park.
"I would like to see that vacant land where Bob hung out to be bought and made into a city or state park and make it where people could go and have a good time, maybe even have a game ranch like Yellow River does, also put in a city swimming pool and picnic areas! Name it Bob's Park!"
Pezzello said there are no plans yet for a park, but a local business will make a plaque in the shape of a turkey to mark Bob's burial site.
Bob was initially buried at another location but was moved due to public demand.
"Due to the fact that we had multiple requests from parents to take their children to see Bob the Turkey's ... grave, Bob was relocated this morning to the area of the Woodstock welcome sign in front of the entrance to Serenade on Main Street," City Manager Jeff Moon said in an email to city employees.
"Bob was originally interred at the Rubes Creek Water Reclamation facility. We could not honor requests to visit the grave due to the fact the plant is a construction site at this time," he said.
"I know we've had a lot of phone calls wanting to know where he's buried, what we did with him," Pezzello said. "He was loved."
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