Lubbock’s Smiling Bush Gets a Turkey Day Transformation
A Lubbock landmark has gotten a Thanksgiving makeover in time for the holidays.
Smiling Bush is now a particularly enormous turkey, complete with feathers and a wattle. Yes, that weird hanging red flesh is called a wattle, or more broadly: caruncles. When you win that trivia question at the bar, you owe me a drink.
Smiling Bush gets his near-monthly makeover courtesy of the folks at Lawn Pros and you can always see him (her? it?) on the west side of Indiana not far from the Market Street on 50th.
The Smiling Bush has gone through many metamorphoses, including a Masked Raider, a Ninja Turtle, a Covid-19-masked 4th of July Mohawk guy, and, most recently, a Halloween Frankenstein's Monster. It's a real joy to drive by, and I love that something as unlikely as a large bush would become such an iconic part of life in Lubbock.
If you're wondering what the ribbon is, it's to raise awareness of metastatic breast cancer, the only form of breast cancer that kills. Ladies, don't forget your check-ups, and don't forget to do a self-examination once a month. Guys can get breast cancer too, so don't forget to occasionally check those pecs for lumps as well, fellas.
Even in a time when things feel so divide and weirdly hostile, we can all come together and enjoy a delightful bush together. There's a joke in there somewhere, but I'm not going to make it. Happy Thanksgiving.
Smiling Bush Turns Into the Masked Rider