Category: IMAGE PROBLEMS

According to D23:

“Courage,” the National Thanksgiving Turkey, received his presidential pardon from President Barack Obama today at the White House’s Rose Garden. “Now, today I’m pleased to announce that, thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha — because I was planning to eat this sucker! — Courage will be spared this terrible and delicious fate,” the president laughed during the ceremony. “Later today, he’ll head to Disneyland, where he’ll be grand marshal of tomorrow’s parade. And just in case Courage can’t fulfil his responsibilities, Walter [National Turkey Federation Chairman Walter Pelletier] brought along another turkey, Carolina, as an alternate, the stand-in.”

After receiving his presidential pardon from President Barack Obama today, Courage — and Carolina — will be transferred to Dulles International Airport. Then they will “fly” on United Airlines Flight “Turkey-1” to their new home at Disneyland Resort in Southern California.

The trip from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles will mark the fifth consecutive year that the National Thanksgiving Turkey has celebrated his pardon at a Disney resort. Accompanied by Pelletier, of Butterball LLC, Courage, a 20-week-old, 45-pound tom turkey, will be the honorary grand marshal in the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” Thanksgiving parade down Main Street, U.S.A. Following Thursday’s parade, Courage and Carolina will find a home at Santa’s Reindeer Round-Up at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland, where they’ll remain throughout the holidays and the rest of their lives.

Joining Courage and Carolina in the Disneyland Park parade on Thanksgiving Day will be 200 volunteers who, as part of National Family Volunteer Day on Saturday, Nov. 21, packed 20,000 boxes of food for Thanksgiving for those in need. Marching behind a Thanksgiving banner, the volunteers are being celebrated for their spirit of community service, the focus of Disney Parks’ “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program in 2010. Disney Parks hopes to inspire 1 million people to perform a day of volunteer service for a participating organization by giving them a free one-day admission ticket to a Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort theme park.

“It is a tremendous honor to represent the turkey industry at the White House and to continue this 62-year-old tradition,” said Pelletier. “Like all Americans, the men and women of our industry faced a very challenging year economically, so it will be gratifying to be at the National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation and then participate in Disney’s Thanksgiving event to reflect on the true meaning of Thanksgiving and the holiday season.” Added Captain Bob Hart of United Turkey-1: “Flying from coast to coast is a 2,288-mile journey and would be exhausting for a turkey. United is going to make sure that this flight is the most enjoyable and smooth cross-country journey these birds will ever take and a memorable experience for all customers onboard.”

U.S. President Harry S Truman was the first commander-in-chief to be presented with a Thanksgiving turkey (in 1947) by the National Turkey Federation. This year’s presentation marks the 62nd anniversary of a tradition that has continued through 11 successive White House administrations. The 2009 National Thanksgiving Turkey was raised under Chairman Pelletier’s supervision on a farm in Goldsboro, N.C.

UPDATE: Here’s a video from the Disney Parks Blog showing President Obama pardoning Courage and Carolina at the White House, as well the two turkeys boarding Turkey-1:

According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:

The massive bottom half of Disneyland’s Christmas tree slowly made its way along Main Street USA – followed by the top half.

Both were carried by cranes early Tuesday morning, as the theme park finished decking itself out with annual holiday decorations.

The 13-ton, 60-foot-tall artificial tree is in its second year at the theme park; two years ago, in part to go more green, Disney quit using live trees.

More than 60,000 lights are on the new one, along with 2,000 ornaments.

“The lighting and the electrical weigh over 5,000 pounds – a real tree wouldn’t be able to accommodate that kind of weight,” said David Caranci, Manager of Resort Enhancement at the park.

Early Tuesday morning also found more than 40 workers on lifts or ladders decorating the rest of Main Street. Elsewhere, crews added a snow-and-icicle look to the castle. More than 100,000 lights were attached to the “it’s a small world” façade, and ornaments and lights sprung up in New Orleans Square, too.

As night turned to dawn, technicians were tinkering to get the tree’s programmable lighting system working. They said everything would be ready by Friday, when Disney’s holiday season officially kicks off.

According to D23:

The Main Street Magic Shop has “reappeared” in Disneyland Park with the help of Houdini’s Magic Shop, currently running the classic store. One of the unique features of the new shop are the decorated windows containing a zoetrope (a cylindrical device where viewers see a rapid succession of images producing the illusion of motion), an Andrus Tri Zonal Space Warper, replicas and actual artifacts of Harry Houdini. Visitors and passersby can also be wowed by a magical handkerchief show that runs every 12 minutes and can be viewed through the window. This return and use of detailed storytelling adds to the charm and elegance of Main Street, U.S.A.

Geno Munari, proprietor of Houdini’s Magic Shop, brought in unique pieces to help tell the story of Houdini’s life to our Guests, including a diver’s patent from the U.S. Government and actual handcuffs used by Houdini in his infamous escape acts. “We are excited to be in Disneyland,” Geno says. “When I see adults and kids laughing and smiling, I know we’ve done our job.”