For fifteen years through 2004, the turkeys were given to Kidwell Farm, a petting zoo at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia. The turkeys would receive a last minute pardon before arriving, and were then led to their new home at the Turkey Barn after enduring a turkey "roast" full of poultry humor and history.
In 2005 and 2006, however, Presdident George W. Bush continued his father's traditions but the turkeys were flown to Disneyland in California where they served as honorary grand marshals for Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day parade. After that, they spent the rest of their lives at a Disneyland ranch. A spot in sunny Disneyland seems immensely preferable to a place called Frying Pan Park.
Former Gov. Sarah Palin's turkey-pardoning photo op was not the kind you'd see at the White House, to say the least, where the idea of these annual events is to leave everyone feeling warm and fuzzy.
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Want to pardon a turkey of your own? Click here.
2012 Turkey Pardon on Facebook.