National Thanksgiving Turkey Will Be From Iowa

***NOTE: The above is a stock photo of a turkey that does not represent those mentioned in this story.

Pardon me, but here's a feel-good story to have you clucking with joy in a year where political hostilities have run bitterly afowl, on top of a global pandemic that has kept everyone flighty and on edge. We're proud to bring you the hard-hitting news of a pair of Iowa turkeys being chosen as part of an annual Thanksgiving tradition.

Every year at Thanksgiving, the President of the United States "pardons" a group of turkeys to rule the roost, and this year, two Iowa turkeys get the distinction. Not only that, one of the birds from the Hawkeye State will be honored as the official  "National Thanksgiving Day Turkey".

The annual pardoning of the Turkey was a tradition reportedly started by President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. According to the website White House History, Presidents initially began receiving turkeys as gifts from a Rhode Island poultry dealer. The general public later began being allowed to offer the gobbly gifts to the President. Instead of feasting on the gifted turkeys, presidents began "pardoning" them. You can read more about the history of this tradition here.

According to Iowa's News Now, the two Iowa turkeys were raised by farmers Ron and Susie Kardel from Walcott and will be available for public viewing on December 5 at 10 a.m. at Iowa State University in Ames, a first in our state.

If you'd like to follow their journey, visit the National Turkey Federation on Facebook, for which Ron Kardel serves as chairman.