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© 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

release dates: November 22-28 47-1 (08)

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press SyndicateBETTY DEBNAM – Founding Editor and Editor at Large

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from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

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The wild turkeyWild turkeys are found across

most of the United States, in largeareas of Mexico and in Canada.They live in forests, swamps andsome grasslands.

When Europeans first exploredMexico about 500 years ago, theytook wild turkeys back to Europe.Later, when English settlers came toAmerica, they brought back turkeysrelated to those wild turkeys.Disappearing turkeys

The birds were always important to Native Americans forfood. But about 100 years ago, turkeys started to disappear.People were using their habitats for farming and settling. Theyalso hunted turkeys for food.

About 60 years ago, conservationists, or people who workto preserve natural resources, caught wild turkeys and movedthem to new areas. Today turkeys can be found in 49 out of 50states. (Alaska does not have turkeys.)Wild turkey facts

Wild turkeys are about 45 inches tall.Their wingspansare about 41/2 feet. They can weigh up to 23 pounds.

Male turkeys are larger. Their breast feathers haveblack tips on them.Their heads are red, white and bluewith a red wattle, or fold of skin on their necks.

Female turkeys have dark bluish-gray heads withpink wattles. Their breast feathers are brown, grayor white-tipped.

The farm turkeyThe turkey that your family buys

at the grocery store for a holidaymeal is very different from the wildturkey.

For one thing, it is much bigger.A hen (female) turkey weighsabout 15 pounds when it goes tomarket. A tom (male) usuallyweighs about 30 pounds.

Turkeys raised for food are bredto have more breast meat and moremeat on the thighs. They havewhite feathers instead of brown.

Turkey productionAbout 270 million turkeys are raised in the United States on

about 8,500 farms. These birds are raised in barns where theyare protected from bad weather and predators. They are notraised in cages. They are allowed to walk around.

Hens and toms are kept in separate barns. Hens lay 80 to100 eggs every six weeks.

Farm turkeys eat ground-up cornand soybeans. It takes about 14 weeksfor a turkey to grow from a poult, orchick, to an adult ready to beprocessed, or prepared for eating.Gobble gobble

Did you know that only the tommakes the “gobble gobble” sound wehear from turkeys?

photo by Larry Price/National Wild Turkey Federationphoto courtesy National Turkey Federation

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The snoodhangs overthe end of thebeak.

Minnesota raises moreturkeys than any otherstate.

Thanksgiving Is Nov. 27

Let’s Talk TurkeyThanksgiving is a favorite holiday for many families and kids. We look forward to family get-togethers, a holiday from school,

watching football on TV and, of course, the food.Will you gobble up some turkey this Thanksgiving? The Mini Page wanted to learn more about this majestic bird that’s

become a traditional part of our holiday meals.

Mini Spy . . .from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

Mini Spy and her friends are serving a turkey for Thanksgiving.See if you can find: • pocketknife • word MINI • eyeglasses

• turkey• letter B• ruler• bread loaf• sailboat• shoe• flyswatter• bottle• letter O• kite• butter dish• letter L


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Sharing the harvestFor the first American Colonists,

turkey may have been a common food.In the fall of 1621, Pilgrims held a feastto celebrate their first harvest in theirnew home.

The Colonists had settled in theterritory of the Wampanoag Nation.Their village was called Patuxet. One ofthe Wampanoag men taught theColonists how to grow corn.

To give thanks for their successfulcorn harvest, the Pilgrims had acelebration that lasted three days.ManyWampanoagpeople came tothe celebration.Geese, ducksand deer wereall on the menu. Turkey may have beenserved as well. There were many wildturkeys in the woods at that time.A national holiday

In 1863, President Abraham Lincolndeclared the last Thursday of Novembera national holiday. Today we celebrateThanksgiving on the fourth Thursday.

Thanksgiving HistoryBody text

Words that remind us of turkeys are hidden in the block below. Somewords are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice.See if you can find: TURKEY, THANKSGIVING, FAMILY, TRADITION,WILD, FOREST, SWAMP, PRESERVE, WATTLE, SNOOD, FARM, HEN,TOM, GOBBLE, FEAST, WAMPANOAG, HOLIDAY, PARADE,PROCESS, GOOFY, DANCE, SEASON.

Turkey TRY ’NFIND

N P R E S E R V E Y E K R U TO R A T S E R O F A M I L Y KI O Y R D O O N S D Q J H E NT C F E A S T C E I L W I L DI E O X B D Y P A L P Z K T AD S O D M H E G S O M M B T NA S G O B B L E O H K R A A CR J T H Y G A O N A P M A W ET H A N K S G I V I N G B F S


Basset Brown

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In 1924 in New York City, Macy’sstarted the tradition of theThanksgiving Day parade. From1942 to 1944, during World War II,Macy’s stopped the parade anddonated the rubber used for thelarge balloons to the war effort.The parade was first seen ontelevision in 1945. Today, about2.5 million people watch theparade from the streets of NewYork.

The Pilgrims had beenin their new home forabout a year when theyenjoyed their firstharvest celebration.They might also haveeaten lobsters, clams,fish, vegetables fromgardens, pumpkins andcranberries.

A holiday parade in New York City

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The Mini Page thanksfood historianKathleen Curtin andKathy Roncarati withPlimoth Plantation forhelp with this section.

WE HAVE LOTSTO BE THANKFUL

FOR!

Rookie Cookie’s RecipePumped-Up Pumpkin

This is delicious served hot or cold.



Meet Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow SmithJada Pinkett Smith is the voice of the

adult Gloria and Willow Smith is the voiceof the young Gloria in the movie“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.”

Jada, 37, has starred in several movies,including “The Nutty Professor.” She hasalso directed a movie and music videos,written a screenplay and produced amovie. She acted in the TV series “ADifferent World.”

She was born in Baltimore, Md., and took piano, tap and balletlessons when she was a child. Later, she went to special schools for thearts. She studied dance and choreography in college.

Jada has created her own designs of women’s T-shirts and dresses.She is part-owner of a restaurant and a skin-care company. She alsosings in a rock band.

Willow, 8, is the daughter of Jada and actor Will Smith. She has twoolder brothers.

You’ll need:• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin• 1 (12-ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk• 1/2 cup liquid egg substitute• 1/2 cup sugar or granulated sugar substitute• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice• 1 tablespoon honey• whipped toppingWhat to do:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. Combine all ingredients except whipped topping in a large bowl.

Stir to mix well.3. Pour into a medium-size baking dish.4. Bake for 45 minutes until set.5. Spoon on whipped topping as desired. Makes 8 servings.*You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.

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All the following jokes have something in common.Can you guess the common theme or category?

Tali: Why did the Pilgrims look unhappy somuch of the time?

Theresa: Because they were called pil-grim(s)!

Thomas: Where can you find a lot ofdancing turkeys?Terry: At the “fowl” ball!

Tammy: In which country would it makesense to celebrate Thanksgiving?

Tim: Turkey!

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Turkeys from farm to tableFarm turkeys are sent to processing

plants to be cleaned and packaged forfood. First thebirds are sortedby weight.

Some wholeturkeys will get a“pop-up timer”inserted. This redplastic gadgethelps cooks knowwhen the meatreaches the righttemperature forserving.

Next, turkeys are bagged and sealed.Some turkeys are frozen; others arekept cold and sent out to stores. Theseare called “fresh turkeys.”

Turkey by the numbers• 88 percent of

Americans willeat turkey onThanksgivingDay.

• 690 millionpounds of turkeywill be consumedover the holiday.

• A turkey eggtakes 28 days to hatch.

• The U.S. sends about 5.5 millionpounds of turkey meat to othercountries. The most goes to Mexico.

• Turkeys have about 3,500 featherswhen they’re full-grown.

• About 8,900 turkeys live on theaverage turkey farm.

A little turkey funThe word “turkey” has been linked to

some funny things over the years.• About 30 years ago, people started

using “turkey” to describe someonedoing something goofy or stupid.

• In the 1920s, people liked to dancea silly step called the Turkey Trot. Theydanced in circles, bobbing their headslike a turkey doeswhen it’s walking.

• When you’rebowling, if you getthree strikes in arow, that’s calleda “turkey.”

More Turkey Talk

Wild turkey huntingToday there are about 7 million wild

turkeys in the United States at anygiven time. Different states havedifferent rules abouthunting the birds.

In most states, there isa short season, orperiod, in the fallwhen either hens ortoms can behunted. Statesalso set limits onhow many turkeyseach hunter cantake.

In the spring, states set their huntingseasons after breeding season. Duringthis period, only toms can be hunted.

Wild turkeys are still eaten by somepeople at Thanksgiving. The meat hasless fat and a slightly different flavorthan a farm turkey.

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

The Mini Page thanks Sherrie Rosenblatt withthe National Turkey Federation and TomHughes, biologist with the National WildTurkey Federation, for help with this issue.

• Wild turkeys can flyfor short distances.(Farm turkeys cannotfly.)• At night, wildturkeys sleep in thetops of trees. • Benjamin Franklinwanted the wildturkey to be ournational bird insteadof the bald eagle. In aletter to his daughter,he called the turkey“a much morerespectable bird, andwithal a true originalnative of America.”

Wild turkey fact-a-roonies

photo courtesy National Wild Turkey Federation

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Look in your newspaper for grocery ads.How much does turkey cost per pound?What other food items will your family serveat Thanksgiving dinner?

Next week, The Mini Page is all aboutdifferent careers for writers.

Usually hens are leftwhole. Toms are cutup for sausage,cutlets and delimeats.


Supersport: Colt McCoyHeight: 6-3 Hometown: Tuscola, TexasWeight: 210

He can run. He can pass. But what Colt McCoy does best is win.In his first 37 starts as the University of Texas quarterback,

the talented junior guided the Longhorns to 27 victories —including a 7-0 start and No. 1 national ranking this season.

At the midpoint this year, he had completed an astounding 79.4 percent of hispasses for 1,557 yards and 17 TDs. He also led the ’Horns in rushing, with 405yards. In his first two seasons he threw for more than 5,800 yards and 51 TDs.No doubt about it, he’s the “Real McCoy.”

Colt, whose father (Brad) and mother (Debra) were college athletes, coversabout as much ground off the field. He is involved in community outreachprograms at Texas, including visiting nursing homes, helping with Meals onWheels, and reading and tutoring underprivileged schoolchildren.

When time permits, Colt also enjoys hunting, fishing and watching TV. Helikes George Strait’s music and lists Denzel Washington as his favorite actor.

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