President George W. Bush pardoned two Dubois County turkeys Tuesday morning during the turkey pardon ceremony, held at the White House each year days prior to Thanksgiving. The traditional pardon was granted to the national Thanksgiving turkey named “May” and a backup turkey named “Flower”.
“May” and “Flower” are both 21-weeks old and were raised at the Ten Star Ranch in Dubois, Indiana. The only exception to the manner in which they were raised is that they were given extra interaction with people to prepare for their White House appearance. They were selected from a flock of ten candidates and were nurtured under normal feeding conditions. “May” and “Flower” will head to Disney World in Orlando, Florida to serve as honorary grand marshals at the Disney Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This is the 60th year of the well-known pardon ceremony, which dates back to Harry Truman’s days as President.
Read the President's full speech.