There's a turkey in the White House - and it's not what you're thinking and it also has Minnesota ties.  Two turkeys raised on a farm in Thief River Falls will play a central role in the 2013 Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon.

Two toms who would typically make their way to Minnesota’s Northern Pride, Inc. — a turkey processing facility in Thief River Falls — will take a different trip this fall. Instead, Minnesota turkey grower John Burkel will send the two male turkeys to the White House to be pardoned by President Obama.

This isn't Minnesota's first time to the party, either.

According to a statement from the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, Burkel, who is the 2013 Chairman of the National Turkey Federation, is the 12th Minnesotan to present pardoned birds to a U.S. president. The first Thanksgiving Day Turkey was presented to President Harry S. Truman in 1947.

After their pardons, the turkeys will go to Mount Vernon - George Washington's former home to spend the Thanksgiving holiday.  Afterwards, they'll be moved to another farm in the State of Virginia.

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