PLAINFIELD —

The weather couldn’t have been better. The sun was high, the air was chilly, and the turkeys were completely frozen.

On Saturday, Metropolis hosted the First Indiana State Frozen Turkey Bowling Championship. Not only did competitors travel from across the state, but the 2006 Ohio State Turkey Bowling Champion showed up to face-off with the Indiana champion.

Metropolis Marketing Manager Lorryn Langton said there are high hopes for this annual competition.

“We hope to make it statewide,” Langton said. “We’d like for schools and businesses and communities to have their own tournaments that build up to this one.”

Elegant Ice, from Columbus, Ohio, holds turkey bowling competitions in Ohio and Michigan. They laid four 16-foot slabs of ice for lanes, set up pins cushioned by bales of hay, and had participants throw frozen turkeys down the lanes just like in a real bowling game. Elegant Ice presented the idea to Langton, who felt it fit perfectly with the mall’s creative flare.

“Here at Metropolis, we like to do things outside of the box,” Langton said. “We couldn’t find this anywhere else in Indiana.”

The turnout was perfect for the first-of-its-kind competition. All 32 team-slots were filled, and each team had two participants. Some teams went all out, creating their own costumes and coming up with clever names such as Two Old Gobblers, the Giblet Girls, Allied Chillers, and Fowl Maidens.

Each team paid a $20 registration fee, and Langton says 100 percent of these proceeds will go to the Premier Foundation, a nonprofit organization established to benefit children, education, health, and arts organizations in the communities in which Premier Properties’ stores are located.

Turkey bowling wasn’t the only activity taking place. Children could bowl on a smaller lane using Cornish game hens, courtesy of Stride Rite. There were opportunities for children to carve their names into slabs of ice as well as a dueling chainsaw ice sculpture performance. An ice throne was crafted near the center of Metropolis by its Christmas tree, a perfect photo spot for families.

While the Indiana State Champion enjoyed a $50 gift certificate from Stone Creek Dining Company and a $25 Metropolis gift card, all runners-up received a $25 Claddagh gift card and $25 Metropolis gift card. All teams received a Bowler’s Packet with various coupons.

The championship was based on points. However, teams that received alternative rewards were Eye Heart Turkey, who won the Most Spirited award, Wacky Women won the We Try Harder award, and the Two Turkey Pluckers won Best Form by bowling a perfect game.

The First Annual Indiana State Turkey Bowling Champion was Matt Weidner from Brownsburg. In the last round, he had a bowl-off with his own teammate, Dave Backi from Brownsburg, for the state title. Their team name was the Brownsburg Sharks.

“We’d like this to be a new Hoosier tradition,” Langton said.

jamie.hergott@flyergroup.com