VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — With Thanksgiving around the corner, families are preparing for the feast, including the dinner's centerpiece, the Thanksgiving turkey.
Some families prefer to buy fresh and local and for more than 80 years one Virginia Beach farm has given people the opportunity to do just that.
For more than 80 years the Flanagan family has raised turkeys in Pungo.
Just off Princess Anne road, Roy D. Flanagan Sr. and his son work every year to make sure their turkeys are the best. Flanagan Jr. said that it takes six months to raise a full-grown turkey, which isn’t easy.
"People think all this is simple, farming in general. You just plant the seed and things grow, that's not really it either. All of this takes work," said Flanagan.
Flanagan added that farm turkeys have the best taste.
"I think once you've had a fresh turkey, the frozen turkeys that you get at the grocery store just pale in comparison,” said Flanagan.
Each year the family works together to complete orders for people who ordered turkeys and Flanagan Sr. said that it’s wonderful to see people come back over the course of decades.
"I see a lot of people that I don't see but once a year. Some have bought turkeys from us for twenty to thirty years," said Flanagan Sr.
He said that he’s thankful the tradition will live on through his son.
"I'm proud of him. That's the good part is he's taking over for me,” said Flanagan Sr.
"We're given a lot throughout our life, we need to take a moment to spend time with family,” said Flanagan Jr.