Public Open House for National Thanksgiving Turkey
Venue: Virginia Tech Livestock Judging Pavilion, Blacksburg
Date: Friday, November 23, 2018
Time: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Event Types: Miscellaneous, Family Friendly
Cost: Free
Description:
Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences presents a Public Open House for the National Thanksgiving Turkey on Friday, November 23, 2018 at the Virginia Tech Livestock Judging Pavilion.

For the third consecutive year, the famous birds will make the journey from the White House, where the turkeys are “pardoned” by the president in a formal ceremony, to Blacksburg’s Gobblers Rest, where they will live out their days and get to know the HokieBird.

The public is invited to meet the two birds. Admission is free and all are welcome.

This year, the birds named Peas and Carrots are coming from a farm near Huron, South Dakota. After two birds are chosen based on appearance and temperament, they head to Washington, D.C., where they stay at a hotel near the White House as part of a series of media events leading up to the presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The college will stream the formal ceremony during a Facebook Live event on Tuesday, November 20th around 1:00 pm. People can participate in a contest to name the birds on the White House’s official social media channels.

The event not only serves as the opening of the holiday season, but also reminds America of the history and role of agriculture, from feeding the world to growing the economy.

“We love that the birds are coming back to Blacksburg to roost once again,” said Rami Dalloul, a world-renowned poultry immunologist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, who a few years ago sequenced the turkey genome. That discovery opened the door to new levels of understanding of the birds as well as genetics in general.

“Virginia Tech and the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences have been great partners over the last two years, and we are excited that the National Thanksgiving Turkey and its alternate are again returning to Gobblers Rest,” said National Turkey Federation chairman Jeff Sveen.

The National Turkey Federation began the tradition when it gave a live bird to President Harry S. Truman in 1947. More recent presidents have added the custom of “pardoning” both the National Thanksgiving Turkey and its alternate.

The Livestock Judging Pavilion is located at 445 Plantation Road in Blacksburg, VA on the campus of Virginia Tech.

For more information, visit: https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2018/11/cals-turkeys.html.