GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Last year FOX17 told you about Larry the turkey who wanders the Heritage Hill area in Grand Rapids, bringing traffic near Mary Free Bed Hospital to a halt and pecking at cars in their parking garage.
At the time the hospital said they wanted him gone, but since they've warmed up to old Larry. Ben Risinger, Community Relations at Mary Free Bed, runs into Larry often and now makes sure the bird gets around Wealthy street safely, “Nobody is going to mess with our turkey. I actually stopped traffic so he could pass by and be safe.”
While the hospital has grown to love Larry, he hasn't changed a big, still up to his old antics with security, “He can be a stinker," Diana Potter, Security at Mary Free Bed explains, "He doesn’t always cooperate. He likes to run around and make you chase him. A lot of times I will have to get help out here.”
They push him out of the parking lot, because they don't want him getting hit. But the shiny reflection of car bumpers and windows keeps him coming back. Potter says, “He’s probably looking for a girlfriend."
But with no girl turkeys in town, Larry will have to live off the love from Mary Free Bed. Hospital staff says, “He’s part of the family, we call him Larry Free Bed."
He's a turkey that has something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday.
