Turkey Trouble on the National Mall (6 page)

“What?” he cried. “I don’t believe …!”

Without even realizing what she was doing, KC wrapped the dangling rope around one of Leroy’s feet. Three seconds later, he took off running. He fell, and the rope yanked open the truck’s rear door. In
the light shining from inside the truck, KC could see Leroy trying to untangle the rope from his foot.

KC snatched the bag of popcorn from Marshall’s hands, crawled from beneath the truck, and threw the popcorn at Leroy. Right away, dozens of hungry turkeys flew out of the truck and landed on top of the panicked crook.

Two FBI agents bolted out of the woods and jumped onto the pile of turkeys. There was so much noise and confusion that KC forgot to listen for Cloud’s little silver bell.

The next day, the First Family and Marshall drove the turkeys to Mount Vernon. KC and Marshall stood with Lois and the president, watching the turkeys strut about in the meadow. KC watched Cloud until he disappeared among all the others.

“Now I can see why George Washington
loved living here,” KC’s mother said. Mount Vernon was beautiful under the warm November sun. George Washington’s home was surrounded by farmland and woods and fields. Horses and cattle roamed the pastures, and chickens wandered about looking for things to eat.

“I want to live here,” Marshall said. “I could feed the animals.”

“Nice idea, Marshall,” the president said. “You could volunteer to work here when you’re in college.”

“What will happen to Mr. Leroy?” KC asked.

“Jail,” the president said.

“Speaking of jail,” KC’s mother said, “you two are still going to be grounded for sneaking out last night.”

“But if we hadn’t stopped him, Mr. Leroy would have gotten away!” KC said.

“Nonsense,” her mother said. “We had a
marine and two FBI agents on the case. We didn’t need two fourth graders!”

“It was so cool rounding up the turkeys!” Marshall pitched in. “They were running all over the woods!”

KC watched two turkeys chase each other across the meadow. “Anyway, I have an idea for next Thanksgiving,” she told the president.

He put his hand on her shoulder. “I can’t wait to hear it,” he said.

“I can,” muttered Marshall.

Everyone laughed.

“Tell us your idea, KC,” her mother said.

“Well,” KC said, “if we pardoned one hundred and seventeen turkeys from Congress this year, just think how many we could get next year if we asked all the governors and mayors!”

Did you know that turkeys have been presented to the President of the United States since the 1800s? This tradition dates all the way back to when Ulysses S. Grant was president! But early on, turkeys weren’t always pardoned. In fact, many turkeys presented to the president were eaten!

No one knows for sure when the practice of turkey pardoning started, but some people believe it began with Abraham Lincoln. In one story, Lincoln’s son Tad asked his father to write a presidential pardon for the turkey that was meant for the family’s Christmas dinner. Lincoln granted his wish. Both John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon also spared turkeys while president, but George H. W. Bush was the first to formally pardon a Thanksgiving turkey in 1989.

The official turkey is chosen when it hatches, and a second one is picked as an alternate. If the first bird becomes sick or disorderly, the other takes its place at the ceremony. Over the years, turkey pairs have been given funny names like May and Flower, Apple and Cider, Biscuits and Gravy, and Stars and Stripes. No matter which turkey takes center stage, both are spared.

The turkeys get the presidential treatment during the pardoning process. Some stay in fancy hotels, eat delicious meals—even go to Disneyland! After they are pardoned, many live out their days on animal farms or at Mount Vernon, once the home of President George Washington.