Before the turkey hits the table this Thanksgiving, about 600 people are expected to “trot” downtown for a good cause. Thursday will mark the March of Dimes’ 23rd annual Turkey Trot in Baton Rouge — a walking and running event that raises money for premature babies.The Turkey Trot will start on 3rd Street at North Boulevard near the Old State Capitol. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. for the 1-mile walk/run at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K walk/run at 8 a.m.People can also register beforehand at marchofdimes.com/louisiana. Registration costs $22 before the event and $25 the day of the event. “The Turkey Trot has grown throughout the years to include more local and out-of-town families that come in for Thanksgiving,” said Stacey Parker, community director for the Louisiana branch of March of Dimes. “Not only is it a local race — we have people from all over the nation.”Parker said the event typically raises about $20,000 for March of Dimes. The organization’s mission is “to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality,” according to its Web site.Parker said one in every eight babies in the U.S. is born premature, and in Louisiana, one in every six babies is born premature. Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the national organization in 1938. He called for Americans to donate their dimes and other spare change to help fight polio, a disease from which he suffered. Since then, the group has evolved to help support premature babies and their mothers. Parker said the Turkey Trot has such a large turn out because people are interested in supporting March of Dimes, and it’s easy for them to do so because they are off school and work. “We do it in enough time so everybody can get back home to enjoy their Thanksgiving lunch,” Parker said. “You can run off your turkey before you eat it.”—————Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]