A grand Presidential Turkey Tour of Huron is planned for Wednesday, November 14th, beginning at 10 am.
Each year, the chairman of the National Turkey Federation (NTF) has the opportunity to present the National Thanksgiving Turkey at the White House. Jeff Sveen, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Dakota Provisions and a native South Dakotan, is the 2018 chair of NTF. This year marks the first time in the 71-year history of the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation that South Dakota has had this honor.
The presidential turkeys are being raised under the supervision of Sveen and turkey farmer Ruben Waldner near Huron. Before the two turkeys head to the nation’s capital, they will travel around Huron for a grand send-off.
The Tour of Huron begins on November 14th at 10 am at the Huron Chamber & Visitors Bureau, located at 1725 Dakota Ave S. Speeches will be delivered by Laurie Shelton, President of the Huron Chamber of Commerce, and NTF and Dakota Provisions Chairman Jeff Sveen. The public is invited to attend and will have the opportunity to view the turkeys.
Following the speeches, the turkeys will be driven on a specially prepared trailer to five area elementary schools and introduced to the students. The elementary students will be asked to submit possible names for the birds, which will then be sent to the White House for consideration. After the Tour of Huron, the turkeys will rest up before their trip to Washington, DC,
where they will stay in a luxury room at the Willard InterContinental Hotel to await their historic meeting with the President of the United States.
(Lorna Riemer)