• Posted on Friday, July 16, 2010
  • Bookmark and Share
  • email
  • |
  • print
  • |
  • rss

tool name

close
tool goes here

Thinking Thanksgiving at the White House at one Modesto farm

Sign up for email newsletters now!

Sign up for email newsletters now!

Never miss a McClatchy story

If you want a pardon from the president, you'd better be on your best behavior.

Same goes for turkeys.

Foster Farms is raising the bird that will be "pardoned" by President Barack Obama this year in a Thanksgiving tradition dating to 1989.

Thursday morning at a company ranch east of Modesto, the Foster Farms folks talked about how this turkey will be chosen from 25 candidates that hatched a week ago.

A calm demeanor amid a crowd of people is vital, because the pardon will be issued at a White House media event.

"Hopefully, it will behave on national TV," said Ira Brister, who oversees all of Foster Farms' live turkeys and will help present the bird to Obama just before the holiday.

The turkey also will have to get used to being loaded into a travel crate for the flight to Washington, D.C., and sitting on a table next to the president.

"Good table manners" is how Brister put it.

Read the complete story at modbee.com

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

We welcome comments. To post one, you must sign in using either your McClatchyDC login or your login for Facebook, Twitter or Disqus. Just click the appropriate box below.

Please keep your comment civil, short and to the point. Obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. If you find a comment abusive or inappropriate, please flag it for the moderator by placing your cursor on the comment, then clicking the "flag" link that appears. Thanks for your participation.

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT BLOG

Planet Washington

"Planet Washington" is a group blog by journalists in McClatchy's Washington Bureau. Send a story suggestion.

LEGAL AFFAIRS BLOG

Suits & Sentences

"Suits & Sentences" is written by Mike Doyle, who covers the Supreme Court for McClatchy's Washington Bureau. Send a story suggestion.