Mayor of Village of Brookville and Nassau County SPCA to officially pardon Tommy the turkey at Milleridge Inn
One fortunate turkey won’t be on a dinner table this Thanksgiving, that’s because he will be officially pardoned by Village of Brookville Mayor Daniel H. Serota and Gary Rogers of the Nassau County SPCA. Animal rights advocates will also be in attendance to support officially pardoning “Tommy the Turkey” on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the historic Milleridge Inn, 585 N Broadway, Jericho, NY 11753, at 11:30 a.m.
This will mark the official, municipal pardon granted for a turkey on Long Island and will allow Tommy the Turkey to live out his remaining days in peace at the Milleridge Inn, where the SPCA and innkeepers built a home for the lucky gobbler.
The historic Milleridge Inn has been celebrating Thanksgiving for more than two centuries. This year, upwards of 45 million turkeys will not be as lucky as Tommy the Turkey. The Inn dates back to 1672.
According to historians, the first record of a turkey being pardoned was in 1863 by President Lincoln. Subsequently, President Kennedy pardoned a turkey in 1963, but the first official pardon was granted by President George H.W. Bush on Nov. 14, 1989. It has since become an annual White House tradition.
