Hey, y’all. It’s Amie.

Thanksgiving is a day I really look forward to. When I was little, we’re talking around age 10, I had it in my head that I was going to build a one-room log cabin on my parents’ land, complete with a stove and fireplace, and invite my whole family over for a traditional, homestead-y Turkey Day meal. I imagined their looks of awe as I, in my Little House on the Prairie dress, pulled a beautifully prepared turkey from my meager oven, placing it before the humble table. 

Well… over the past two decades, there’ve been some adjustments to that dream. I live at the heart of a small town; not in a log cabin, but in a lovely home built over 100 years ago. It’s an occasion if you find me in a dress—I’m going to be wearing my comfiest jeans next Thursday. And the beautiful turkey that took hours to prepare? I’m popping turkey bacon in a panini press for five minutes, y’all. 

Yet and still, everyone comes over. Everyone mingles. Everyone eats. Us girls high-kick right along with the Rockettes performance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The guys hide their faces in embarrassment at the sight. It’s not an elaborate show of amazing dishes and incredible food. It’s pancakes and biscuits and fakeon and just a good ole relaxed time. Whatever your Thanksgiving traditions are, I hope you enjoy them to the fullest—and I’m so glad you’re here. 

Here’s what you need to know: This Thanksgiving, elevate your holiday feast by choosing locally grown delights from Virginia’s farms, where quality and sustainability reign supreme. Say goodbye to generic store-bought items and instead indulge in pasture-raised turkeys, handmade pies, and sweet potatoes harvested from the very earth you stand on.

Our top picks:

• Tilman Turkeys—In Charlottesville, Tilman Turkeys provides a pasture-raised option with plenty of space to roam. Their birds are raised to full maturity over six months and are priced at $11 per pound. A $50 deposit is required, with the remaining balance due upon pickup in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

• Woodruff’s Pies—Originally a family-owned country store, Woodruff’s Pies became a local favorite when Angela Scott revived the shop in 1998 with a focus on pies. Seasonal pies, such as pumpkin, rhubarb, and peach/apple, are available by the slice or whole, with a choice of double crust or crumble.
• Orapeake Farms—Established in 1991, Orapeake Farms specializes in Baker Sweet Potatoes and Hayman Sweet Potatoes. The Baker Sweet Potato, developed at the Virginia Agriculture and Trucking Station, has an orange flesh that is naturally soft, moist, and sweet. The Hayman Sweet Potato, a white-fleshed variety, has a rich history on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and is known for its exceptional sweetness.

Time’s ticking to place an order! Learn more about sustainably sourced foods to add to your Thanksgiving table below. 

From Nov. 13-26, we are running our Supporter Drive—and we need your support to ensure that our newsroom is prepared to combat misinformation and continue to provide news that you can use in Virginia.

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Question of the Week: What would you like to see happen for Virginia in 2025? It could be making public universities more affordable for our kids, an influx of small businesses, or an effort to plant more trees along city streets. Whatever positive change you’d like to see in the commonwealth next year, I want to hear about it! Feel free to email me at amie@couriernewsroom.com.

We all have “that one uncle” who makes the Thanksgiving meal a little spicer than it needs to be. Here are six quick and easy ways to help divert the conversation back to people talking about values, not conspiracies.

1. Consider the context

2. Don’t dismiss them outright

3. Ask where they got their info

4. Listen for the underlying issue

5. Validate their real issue

6. Be a friend

For more on these tips and tricks, click below. 

• Gov. Glenn Youngkin did not have the authority to end Virginia’s participation in a regional effort to fight climate change, according to a judge’s ruling Wednesday that was celebrated by environmental advocates. A Floyd County Circuit Court Judge ruled Youngkin’s 2022 executive order to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative unlawful (READ MORE HERE).

• Pharrell Williams is in hot water with the City of Virginia Beach. Following Williams’ unexpected cancelation of the Something in the Water Festival this year, the city announced precautions to protect itself from another “blindside.” The mayor stated that he would recommend future festival dates be canceled by city planners if Williams and his team did not sign a contract (READ MORE HERE).

• Virginia Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares recently announced he will seek a second term as the state’s top lawyer. Miyares’ announcement clears the way for Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earl-Seares to become the Republican nominee for governor in 2025. With Rep. Abigail Spanberger being the only Democratic candidate for governor, it would appear that Virginia is on track to elect its first woman governor next year (READ MORE HERE).

This week, we’re featuring a boxing highlight! If you’d like to see your team’s accomplishments broadcast on Dogwood’s platforms, send a note and photo to amie@couriernewsroom.com or reply to this message. Just be sure you have permission to share from all of the proper sources—players/guardians, photographers, and coaches/schools, to name a few.

Did you stay up to watch the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight? Well, you might be curious to know more about Kid Norfolk—a boxer from Virginia.

Born in Belmont in 1893, William Ward (who went by “Kid Norfolk”) became one of the best heavyweights in the sport. He rose to fame in the 1910s, and in 1920, uttered one of the best lines in boxing history. Norfolk went up against John Lester Johnson, an opponent previously disqualified for “foul tactics” against the Virginian.

Before the match started Johnson said, “Hello, Willie.” Norfolk responded: “Hey, man. You don’t mean, ‘Hello.’ You mean, ‘Goodbye.’” Norfolk knocked Johnson out in the first round, according to a story in the September 2000 issue of Boxing Digest.

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