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Minnesota man carves out history as presidential turkey chauffeur

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Published  November 27, 2024 6:42pm CST
Minnesota
FOX 9

Meet the Presidential turkey chauffeur

He’s a chauffeur of sorts, taking turkeys to the White House for presidential pardons. Peter Gruhl just got back to Willmar with Peach and Blossom after their pardons on Monday and he’ll be taking another couple of turkeys to Kansas City Friday for the Chiefs-Raiders game.

The Brief

    • A Minnesota man has driven turkeys to the White House for presidential pardons nine times in the last 19 years.
    • Peter Gruhl rents a van, covers it with optic tarp, and lets the birds out for food, water, and other business every three to four hours.
    • He says they're all lovable, but Popcorn made a big impression in 2013 by resting his head on Gruhl's shoulder for the whole trip.

(FOX 9) - A Minnesota man has carved out a very special Thanksgiving niche by taking turkeys to the White House for presidential pardons.

Presidential turkey chauffeur

Peter Gruhl just got back to Willmar with Peach and Blossom after their pardons on Monday, and he’ll be taking another couple of turkeys to Kansas City on Friday for the Chiefs-Raiders game.

Gobbler gossip

If you want the inside gravy on the Minnesota turkeys who went to the White House this week, Gruhl’s your guy.

"Peach was much more dominant and strutting versus Blossom was more the friendly bird," said Gruhl, whose regular job is as sales director for NextNest in Willmar, where he works regularly with turkey farmers.

How he got the job

Nine times in the last 19 years he’s hand-delivered turkeys for pardons, starting almost accidentally when he got Marshmallow to see President Bush in 2005.

"We just rented a minivan and drove the turkey to the White House," he said.

He’s now met four presidents and helped turkeys from Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota stay off the dinner table.

Riding with turkeys

They all ride with him in a rental van and a plastic tarp for almost a full day on the road, and they listen to whatever music the birds seem to like.

Peach and Blossom got good medicine from Bon Jovi.

The turkeys are specially selected because they can handle noises and crowds, so none of them give turkey love a bad name, but a 2013 passenger made the trip more memorable.

"He put his head on my shoulder the whole trip," Gruhl said.

The trips start with very frequent stops, then Gruhl stretches it out to every three or four hours when he puts out the feed bucket and water and lets them do business.

But sometimes the urge comes sooner, and he knows when he hears a change in the tone of the gobbles.

"So I have a fairly good understanding of what my passengers in this case are trying to tell me," he said.

Red carpet treatment

The Willard InterContinental Hotel rolls out the red carpet and gives the turkeys their own room with Gruhl next door.

They get pardoned, and then they all turn around and come home.

Gruhl plans to celebrate the holiday by giving thanks for the trips and — before the next one — by eating a meal with friends and family.

"I'll have turkey," he said.

This year’s pardoned birds will retire at Farmamerica in Willmar.