By BOB MODERSOHN Register Staff Writer 10/11/2002 You've heard of Rocky Mountain Oysters.

Here's an event that features a similar, more seasonal delicacy.

It's the 24th annual Turkey Testicle Festival in Byron, Ill., 12 miles south of Rockford.

You might call these morsels Mississippi Valley Scallops.

Or call them turkey fries, if it makes you more comfortable. They're deep-fried to a golden brown, then served in plastic cups.

The festival started in 1978 when three local guys got the idea from a relative out West.

"It was a fluke," said Frank Maragi, who started the festival with partners Doc Digiusseppi and Jack Palmeri. They borrowed the idea from Digiusseppi's aunt in Dunlap, Calif., who made turkey fries. Maragi and his buddies decided to make an annual event using the testes.

In its first year, the festival saw a modest turnout of 50 turkey-fry fans gobble 25 pounds of the tasty treat.

Two years ago, 4,000 visitors showed up.

"This year, we've got 360 pounds coming in," Maragi said. They are shipped each year from Baraboo Sysco Foods in Wisconsin.

What do they taste like?

"Like everybody says - like chicken," Maragi said.

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2002

Answers

it takes balls to do that.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2002