Jim Whiteaker preps the turkeys before placing them in the smoker during the annual Great Yuba City Smoke Out in Yuba City on Nov. 27.

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - “It’s a Yuba City thing” is how Jim King described the annual Great Yuba City Smoke Out, a sentiment echoed across multiple social media platforms.

King, the Rolling Stone Pizza Company owner, has hosted this event from the “privacy” of his own back yard in South Yuba City for the past 24 years now. His outdoor smoker can hold up to 25 turkeys at a time and this year, he smoked close to a hundred.

“Sometimes it's hard waking up at 4 in the morning to do this but then I start seeing the people come in with their smiling faces and they’re so happy, it makes it all worth it,” said King.

The smoking event took place on Nov. 27, and while the morning might have been chilly, Brian Davis was there to crank up the heat with his funky tunes. Davis is the face and force behind Be Xtra Aerial Videography & Photography, a nonprofit group aimed at helping put quality shoes and sneakers on the feet of residents in need. This was Davis’s first time out at King’s turkey event and he said he felt honored to be selected as one of the financial recipients.

“I’m super excited, I’ve seen it before but never attended,” said Davis “We’re getting one turkey for ourselves and two we’ll be donating to the Twin Cities Mission.”

Jim King, left, organizer of the Great Yuba City Smoke Out, shares a laugh with Fox 40 reporter Tony Salazar on Nov. 27 in Yuba City.

Funds are raised through donations collected by King and his staff of volunteers. Each bird is subject to a suggested $20 donation upon pick up, 100% of which goes toward local nonprofit organizations. This year, King opted to split the pot between Davis and a local branch of Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization that honors veterans, active-duty military and their families by placing wreaths on veteran graves.

“I've always believed in local charity,” said King. “I look to support people who are in the trenches, those who are with the people and actually involved.”

Davis said he plans to use his share to supply 170 pairs of shoes to students at three rural schools: Dobbins, Berry Creek and Yuba Feather.

Assemblyman James Gallagher, center, poses for a photo op with Sutter County Supervisor Karm Bains and Jim Whiteaker during the annual Great Yuba City Smoke Out on Nov. 27.

“They’re kind of country schools so that's why we’re doing it, they don’t always get the same kind of love, so we wanted to throw them under our wing,” said Davis.

Davis wasn’t the only one new to the turkey smokin’ crowd this year, he was joined by Michelle Reyno, a Booster Club member for River Valley High School, and Gina Alexander, a Los Angeles-based influencer and handbag designer who now works locally with foster youth.

“We actually go and eat Jim’s pizza all the time at New Earth Market. Our favorite is the El Rey,” said Alexander. “I'm thankful to get our turkey smoked this year because the oven we usually use is kind of old.”

By 8 a.m., news crews started rolling in with an appearance from Tony Salazar, a Fox 40 reporter. This was Salazar’s first time stepping foot into the Yuba-Sutter region.

“This is quite unique,” said Salazar. “It's kind of got that small community feel here, which is nice.”

Pictured are Brian Davis, center, and his crew of Be Xtra volunteers at the Great Yuba City Smoke Out in Yuba City on Nov. 27

As for Jim Whiteaker,  King’s right hand turkey dresser and prepper, this is his fourth or fifth year in the smoking business.

“Over the years, Jim has come to our schools and smoked turkeys for disadvantaged kids,” said Whiteaker. “The kids loved it; they got to season their own birds and figure out what they wanted on it and then take it home. They were pretty happy. This year, I’ll also be giving away eight of these turkeys to disadvantaged students at Pathways Charter Academy.”

As the morning wore on, more and more familiar faces started to appear, including a surprise visit from Assemblyman James Gallagher. The weather was sunny and the turkeys turned out quite scrumptious. All in all, it was truly a “Yuba City thing.”