Courage the Pardoned Turkey | November 2009 | Photo Credit: Krista

Did you know that Ben Franklin wanted the turkey to be United States’ official bird? It’s true, Mr. Franklin wanted the turkey instead of the bald eagle as America’s national symbol. Even though the turkey is not America’s official bird, today – over 230 years later – turkeys remain an important part of our culture – especially in the month of November.

For Thanksgiving, people will gather with friends and family and many will eat turkey. But for some fortunate turkeys, they will spend Thanksgiving at the table (or at the farm) instead of on the table. You may have heard of the annual tradition where the President of the U.S. pardons a turkey, but what you may not know is that one of these turkeys (pardoned in 2009) still lives at “The Happiest Place on Earth” in California.

This lucky turkey’s name is Courage and he is the oldest pardoned turkey still alive. In 2009 Courage had a place of honor at Big Thunder Ranch. In 2015, Courage typically remains backstage and likes to follow around the cast members. When Big Thunder Ranch closes in January 2016 to make room for Star Wars Land, Courage and all of the other ranch animals will have new homes. On a recent trip to Big Thunder Ranch, the cast members who work at the ranch said that many of the animals have already been moved to their new locations and Courage will be moved soon.

Big Thunder Ranch | November 2009 | Courage the Pardoned Turkey | Photo Credits: Krista

As your family is getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, and to commemorate the upcoming closure of Big Thunder Ranch, I thought it would be fun to share one of the November art projects I used to teach to my elementary school students: “Turkey Dressing”.

The premise of this art & craft project is how to disguise a turkey so it will survive Thanksgiving and escape being the main course. My students would get very creative and this was always a favorite family activity each November. If you’d like to do this project with your children, I’ve included a link to the directions for your personal use. I hope you and your family have fun with this seasonal project.

Link to “Turkey Dressing” Arts-Crafts Project

Turkeys in Disguise | Krista Ames-Cook’s elementary school classroom | Photo Credit: Krista

Turkeys in Disguise | Krista Ames-Cook’s elementary school classroom | Photo Credit: Krista

Turkeys in Disguise | Krista Ames-Cook’s elementary school classroom | Photo Credit: Krista

May you and your family and friends have a blessed Thanksgiving! What are your plans? What are your traditions? Ours is spending a few days at Disneyland – and yes, we’ll be visiting Big Thunder Ranch to spend some time with the animals. Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll get to see Courage the pardoned turkey!

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