Representative Paul Gosar

Thanksgiving Weekend Update

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for friends and family, and for the many people who have made and continue to make America the greatest nation on the planet. This will be a light newsletter but we still wanted to say "hi," and share a couple "moments of cheer" from last week that are sure to put you in the holiday spirit! Enjoy!

President Trump Pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey

Meet "Corn" and "Cob":

On November 24, 2020, President Donald J. Trump continued the time-honored White House tradition of officially pardoning the National Thanksgiving Turkey! This year’s candidates for National Thanksgiving Turkey were “Corn” and “Cob”. After a close vote, Americans chose "Corn," a 42 lb bird from Iowa, as this year's honoree. Corn and Cob were raised by Ron Kardel, National Turkey Federation Chairman and a 6th generation turkey, corn, and soybean farmer from Walcott, Iowa. After the pardoning ceremony at the White House, both turkeys retired to their new home on the campus of Iowa State University.

Turkeys have been sent as gifts to American Presidents from as early as the 1870s, sometimes arriving in elaborate crates and costumes. By the 1920s, the influx of these turkeys had increased so greatly that President Calvin Coolidge discouraged Americans from sending them. Eventually, the tradition resumed, and turkey gifts have come to be celebrated as a national symbol of good cheer.

In the 1940s, farmers and manufacturers sent birds to the White House as a means of promoting the poultry industry. During the latter years of the Nixon presidency, Patricia Nixon accepted the turkeys on behalf of the President and in 1973 sent the bird to the Oxon Hill Children’s Farm. The 1978 turkey, presented to First Lady Rosalynn Carter, met a similar fate when it was sent to Evans Farm Inn to live in a mini zoo.

After 1981, the practice of sending the presentation turkey to a farm became the norm under President Ronald Reagan. The turkey ceremony also became a source of satire and humor for reporters. The formalities of pardoning a turkey gelled by 1989, when President George H. W. Bush, with animal rights activists picketing nearby, quipped, "But let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone's dinner table, not this guy -- he's granted a Presidential pardon as of right now -- and allow him to live out his days on a children's farm not far from here.”

To watch Corn and Cobb arrive in style and walk the red carpet, click HERE. To watch the official presentation and pardoning ceremony, click HERE.

First Lady Melania Trump Participates in the Arrival of the White House Christmas Tree

Continuing Traditions:

On November 23, 2020, First Lady Melania Trump participated in the arrival of the White House Christmas Tree. Mr. Dan Taylor, winner of the National Christmas Tree Contest, presented the prizewinning tree to the First Lady at the North Portico in a horse-drawn carriage. The 2020 Christmas Tree is an 18 ½ foot Fraser Fir from West Virginia.

Fun Fact: This is the fourth White House Blue Room Christmas Tree from West Virginia. North Carolina has given the most at 13 since it became an official tradition in 1961.

Although previous presidential administrations displayed Christmas trees indoors throughout the State Floor, it was First Lady Mamie Eisenhower who consistently placed a tree in the Blue Room. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the tradition of selecting a theme for the official White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room in 1961. That year, the tree was decorated with ornamental toys, birds, angels and characters from the "Nutcracker Suite" ballet.

The National Christmas Tree Association has held a national competition since 1966 for the official White House Blue Room tree. To qualify, growers must first win their state or regional competitions. Being named National Grand Champion is a major achievement. The White House Christmas Tree must stand 18-19 feet tall and reach the ceiling of the Blue Room, where the chandelier is removed each holiday season to accommodate the tree.

To watch the First Lady participate in the arrival of the White House Christmas Tree, click HERE.

2020 White House Historical Association

Christmas Tree Ornament

The White House Historical Association's Official 2020 White House Christmas Ornament honors John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president of the United States. The youngest president since Theodore Roosevelt, Kennedy took office in January 1961, at age 43. Before his vibrant presidency was cut short by an assassin's bullet on November 22, 1963, he had invigorated the American spirit. His legacy of faith and belief in America lives on.

"With this ornament we remember President Kennedy through his posthumous official White House portrait, made in 1970 by Aaron Shikler, the artist selected by the president's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy. The portrait, symbolic of his unfinished presidency, hangs in the White House today. Shikler recalled that Mrs. Kennedy did not want the portrait to look the way other artists had portrayed him. "I painted him with his head bowed, not because I think of him as a martyr," Shikler said, "but because I wanted to show him as a president who was a thinker... All presidential portraits have eyes that look right at you. I wanted to do something with more meaning. I hoped to show a courage that made him humble."

The White House Historical Association is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with a mission to protect, preserve, and provide public access to the rich history of America’s Executive Mansion.

For more information, click HERE.

Resources

I work for YOU!

I want to serve my constituents in any way I can. Whether you need help with a federal agency, are trying to find out if federal grants are available for your project, or are considering applying to a service academy, my office is always here to help.

Additionally, the phone numbers for all of my offices are listed at the bottom of this email.

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