A pair of turkeys scheduled to be pardoned by the president this Thanksgiving week had their names revealed on Sunday: Liberty and Bell.
The two turkeys, from Willmar, Minnesota, were given their names by Willmar Public Schools students. Each student was given a coloring sheet featuring the two turkeys and was asked to write two names on the sheet. The students were told the coloring sheets would be given to President Joe Biden, Willmar Public Schools substitute teacher Brooke Dahl told the Washington Examiner.
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“President Biden then went through them and he was able to select the names of the turkeys,” Dahl said. “Each kid was able to pick two names to put on their coloring sheets. So, it was really fun.”
Dahl also said that some of the students named the turkeys after their siblings, some after their pets, and some after the president himself — naming one turkey Joe and the other Biden.
The two male turkeys are set to be pardoned by Biden on Monday, as is an annual tradition by the White House ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Jennie-O Turkey Store President Steve Lykken said the birds weigh around 42 pounds, according to the Associated Press.
“We’ve been intently raising them and getting them acclimated to some different things that they’re probably not quite used to, whether that’s sounds and noises, and things like that,” Lykken said.
Ahead of their pardoning, the turkeys stayed at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. where they enjoyed their own executive suite.
“Delivering a bird that we’ve raised for the president to enjoy with his family is one thing, but another is to really celebrate the bird, celebrate animal agriculture, which is so important to our economy,” Lykken added.
Lykken also noted that the turkey pardoning is a White House tradition that has spanned 14 administrations, saying it “allows us to celebrate those who do really, really hard work each and every day and uplift and honor them.”
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On Sunday, Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, visited the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Gerald R. Ford at Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia to serve an early Thanksgiving dinner to servicemen and servicewomen. During a speech made at his appearance, Biden thanked the servicemen and servicewomen, along with their families. He said the military members were the “1%” who protect “the 99% of us,” according to the Associated Press.
The president and first lady will celebrate Thanksgiving this year on Nantucket, an island in the state of Massachusetts.
