Logan Maxwell, co-owner of the Germinator, shows good form during the “Turkey Bowling in Diamond Park” fundraiser Wednesday. Below, Crichton Bly, 4, receives a little help from his mother, Audrianna Bly. The Butler A.M. and P.M. Rotary clubs raised $500 for Rotary International's “End Polio Now” campaign in honor of Oct. 24, which is World Polio Day.

The Rotary Club of Butler and the Butler AM Rotary Club raised some funds Wednesday, and they were all gravy.

The “Turkey Bowling in Diamond Park” event involved county officials and employees, Rotary Club members and anyone who passed by throwing frozen turkeys of various sizes down a makeshift bowling alley.

Turkey tossers donated a minimum of $5 to take a crack at knocking down the pins, and received small prizes based on their success.The $500 raised went toward Rotary International's “End Polio Now” campaign in honor of Oct. 24, which is World Polio Day.The two Butler Rotary clubs competed Wednesday evening at a local bowling alley, with the loser matching the amount raised at the Turkey Bowling in Diamond Park event.An honorary guest at the turkey bowling event was Joe Randig of Butler, who is a polio survivor.Randig contracted the muscle-wasting disease as a child in Butler at age 5 and continues to use leg braces and crutches to walk, but worked for 30 years at the Eagle Printery in Summit Township.“I don't know how or where I contracted it,” Randig said.As a youth, he was treated at the D.T. Watson Institute in Sewickley, Beaver County.

His family also participated in a study requested by Dr. Jonas Salk to determine if polio survivors carried antibodies.Once per year for five years, Randig's parents took him to the Watson Institute to have blood drawn to check for the antibodies.Randig attended Catholic school as a youth, but didn't endure much bullying because of his crutches.“The nuns kept everyone pretty well in line,” he said with a smirk.Randig enjoyed the turkey bowling event, where his wife, Linda, earned the cheers of the crowd when her bird rolled a strike.“The idea that polio still exists in third-world countries is frustrating and disappointing, but it's a constant effort through Rotary to get all the world's children inoculated,” he said.

Randig is also involved in the online Pennsylvania Polio Survivors Network, which has about 1,000 members.Several county officials participated in Turkey Bowling in Diamond Park, with varying degrees of success.County Commissioners Leslie Osche and Kevin Boozel, Sheriff Mike Slupe, Prothonotary Kelly Ferrari, Parks and Recreation director Lance Welliver and others gamely tossed a turkey before accepting a paper towel and hand sanitizer from Rotary member Sue Edwards.Prizes included bags of candy, cigars and ball caps.Butler County Rotary clubs have donated a total of $500,000 toward polio eradication over the years.Attorney Patrick Casey summed up the thoughts of all who participated in Turkey Bowling in Diamond Park.“I think it's a good event because it's fun and it's for a good cause,” he said.<iframe width="100%" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OyAt2_K6QrI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Crichton Bly, 4, received a little help from his mother, Audrianna Bly, during the “Turkey Bowling in Diamond Park” fundraiser Wednesday.

Butler Rotary clubs held a turkey bowl fundraiser Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, to raise money to eradicate polio.

Linda Randig of Butler tosses a frozen turkey down a makeshift bowling lane Wednesday during the “Turkey Bowling in Diamond Park” fundraiser hosted by the Butler A.M. and P.M. Rotary clubs. The event involved county officials and employees, Rotary Club members and people who happened to pass by.