Turkey Day Returns to Moss Field. Kirkwood's Playoff Run Decides Who Takes the Field.

The Turkey Day Game is back in Webster Groves this year. Kickoff is at noon on Thursday, November 26, at Moss Field, the stadium behind Hixson Middle School at 630 S. Elm. The schools alternate hosting. Moss Field gets the game in even-numbered years and Kirkwood's Lyons Field gets it in odd ones, so 2026 is Webster's turn.

The date, the place and the bell are all set. Which teams will play is still open. That depends on a playoff bracket that starts Friday night in Kirkwood.

Why the Last Two Thanksgivings Were Junior Varsity Games

FOX 2 reported last November that junior varsity teams played the 2024 Turkey Day Game, which Kirkwood won 46-6, because Kirkwood's varsity was deep in the state playoffs. The same thing happened in 2025. Kirkwood's varsity had a state semifinal that Saturday, so the junior varsity teams played on Thanksgiving. Kirkwood won that game 45-14, according to KTVI's report.

That is the main reason a game on a fixed holiday can change from year to year. Missouri's state football playoffs run through Thanksgiving week, and the semifinal is two days after the holiday. A varsity team still alive then has a bigger game coming on Saturday. In both 2024 and 2025, that meant the junior varsity players took the field on Thursday and rang the Frisco Bell.

Kirkwood has also won every Thanksgiving meeting since 2013, varsity and junior varsity alike. FOX 2 counted the streak at 11 games going into 2025, and Kirkwood's win last year added another.

The Bracket Dates Between Now and Kickoff

Kirkwood finished the regular season 7-1. It is in Class 6, District 2, where the Missouri State High School Activities Association lists it as the top seed. Webster Groves played in Class 5, District 2. Its district playoff run ended October 30 with a 42-0 home loss to Parkway South, leaving it 3-6, and the next game on its varsity schedule is the November 26 matchup with Kirkwood. Webster has no playoff games left before Thanksgiving. Whether the varsity game happens depends on how far Kirkwood goes.

These are the dates to watch, from the MSHSAA Class 6 bracket:

The November 21 quarterfinal is the one to watch. A Kirkwood team still playing after that night will have a state semifinal two days after Thanksgiving, the same situation that sent the junior varsity teams to the holiday game last year.

Thanksgiving Morning, From Kirkwood to Moss Field

The game is only one piece of the morning, and it all starts in the other town. Here is the order:

1. 7:30 a.m., downtown Kirkwood. The 3-mile race of the 44th Webster-Kirkwood Turkey Day Run starts at the corner of Adams and Taylor. The city calls it the St. Louis region's largest and oldest Thanksgiving Day run.
2. 8 a.m., Kirkwood High School cafeteria. Kirkwood's football breakfast costs $15, and the proceeds pay for team meals.
3. 8:10 a.m., same start line. The 6-mile race starts.
4. Noon, Moss Field. Kickoff in Webster Groves.

The run reflects how the two cities share this day. The parks and recreation departments of Kirkwood and Webster Groves host it together. Registration is $25 through the race signup page, and runners can add an optional donation to the Scholarship Foundation, which pays for swim lessons, fitness classes and summer camps for families in need. Questions go to the front desk at the Benny Gordon Recreation Center, (314) 963-5600.

In odd-numbered years, the run and the game are both in Kirkwood. This year, the race finishes in Kirkwood a few hours before kickoff in Webster, so a family doing both will drive between the two cities that morning.

Tickets, and Where the Presale Money Goes

Tickets are sold through the Webster Groves box office page, and the structure is a little unusual. There are three general admission options, all priced the same:

• Webster presale: on sale since November 2, $10 plus a $1 platform fee
• Kirkwood presale: on sale since November 2, $10 plus a $1 platform fee
• Game day general admission: on sale starting at 12 a.m. on November 26, also $10 plus $1

The price is the same, but the money goes to different places. All presale revenue goes to the school the fan chose, so a Webster family buying a Webster presale ticket is supporting Webster. Presale ends November 25 at 11:59 p.m., and the event has a no-refund policy. For Webster Groves households, the presale is the simplest way to send their ticket money to their own school.

A Rivalry Older Than the Holiday Game

Most of the traditions date from before anyone thought of making this a Thanksgiving event. FOX 2 traces the first meeting of the Statesmen and the Pioneers to 1898, the first Thanksgiving game to 1907, and the formal "Turkey Day" name to 1928. The outlet calls it one of the longest-running high school football rivalries west of the Mississippi.

There are two trophies. The winner rings the Frisco Bell on the field and keeps it until the next year's game. Webster Groves High School's Turkey Day history page adds the Little Brown Jug, a consolation prize for the losing team. The page also describes the school-color spirit days, hallway decorating, a pep rally and bonfire, and the Friendship Dance that have built up around the game over the decades.

The bell ceremony stays the same whichever teams play. If junior varsity teams play again this year, they will still play on Moss Field for the Frisco Bell, the same way the 2024 and 2025 junior varsity teams did.

Wednesday Night, on Both Sides of the Line

The evening before Thanksgiving has become a second event of its own. On the Kirkwood side, the district's 2026 festivities page lists the Chili Bowl on Wednesday, November 25. It has three entry sessions between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Early-bird prices are $15 for ages 12 and up, $7 for ages 3 to 11, and free for children 2 and under. Eight local restaurants are listed: Amigos Cantina, Bricktop's, Crushed Red, Fleming's, Lona's Lil Eats, Pioneer Bakery & Cafe, Salt + Smoke and Texas Roadhouse. Kirkwood's community pep rally follows at 7 p.m. at David Holley Assembly Hall.

Kirkwood's week starts earlier, with Tacky Day on Monday, November 23, and Spirit Day plus a 1:45 p.m. student pep assembly on Tuesday. On Friday, the day after the game, alumni hockey, water polo and lacrosse are scheduled.

Webster Groves held its own Wednesday-night events last year. The Webster-Kirkwood Times' 2025 Turkey Day guide listed Webster's Best Chili Fest from 5 to 7 p.m., then a Webster community pep rally at 7, with alumni soccer and a hockey gathering on the Friday after Thanksgiving. For more of the town's fall calendar around the game, see our guide to fall in Webster Groves.

On Thanksgiving morning, the Kirkwood breakfast and run come first, and the crowds from both cities end up at Moss Field by noon. Whether they watch varsity or junior varsity teams will be clear by the night of November 21.

At Jill Azar & Jacque Mileusnic, we follow the traditions that bring Webster Groves and Kirkwood together every year. If the holidays have you thinking about what your home is worth before a spring move, we're happy to put together a free home valuation for you.