Sponsored by
Good morning, Blacksburg.
Fun fact for Election Eve: Election Day is a Tuesday because of horse-and-buggy farmers. When Congress set the date in 1845, many voters needed a day just to travel to the polls. Sunday was for church and Wednesday was market day, so Tuesday won. November was picked because the harvest was done and winter travel hadn’t set in yet. HISTORY
Outside, Monday looks mostly cloudy with a high near 63 and a light east wind, then a partly cloudy night with a low around 41. Election Day turns sunny with a high near 71. National Weather Service
In today’s Blacksburg Connect
Let’s get to it.
Monday, November 2
🏀 Virginia Tech Women's Basketball vs. NC Central
6pm, Cassell Coliseum. The women’s home opener. More below.
💃 Line Dancing
6-8pm, The Milk Parlor, Blacksburg. All skill levels welcome, no partner needed.
🎵 New River Voices Weekly Rehearsal
7-8:30pm, Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 1845 Cambria St NE, Christiansburg. The community choir rehearses Monday nights at its new venue, and new singers are welcome. Questions: [email protected].
🎺 Trumpet Studio Recital
7:30-9pm, Squires Recital Salon, 290 College Ave. Free.
Tuesday, November 3
🗳️ Election Day
Polls open 6am-7pm. Here’s what’s on the ballot. Montgomery-Floyd libraries are closed for the day; the Blacksburg and Meadowbrook branches are open for voting only.
🏀 Virginia Tech Men's Basketball vs. Coppin State
7pm, Cassell Coliseum. The men’s home opener.
Wednesday, November 4
⚽ Virginia Tech Men's Soccer vs. NC State, ACC Tournament First Round
6pm, Thompson Field. The No. 6 seed Hokies host No. 11 seed NC State. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Raleigh in September, and it’s Tech’s first home conference tournament match since 2021.
⛪ Mission Barbecue Meet and Greet
6:30pm, Calvary Chapel-NRV, 1580 N Franklin St, Christiansburg.
🎤 An Evening with David Sedaris
7:30pm, Moss Arts Center, Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre. About 90 minutes with no intermission, including an audience Q&A. $95, or $10 for students with ID and youth 18 and under.
🗳️ Election Day is Tuesday: here’s what’s on a Blacksburg ballot
Polls are open 6am to 7pm Tuesday. Montgomery County’s official sample ballot for Blacksburg voters has six races and three statewide questions:
U.S. Senate: Mark R. Warner (D) vs. Bert Mizusawa (R).
U.S. House, 9th District: Joy A. Powers (D) vs. H. Morgan Griffith (R).
Sheriff (special election): Tim Andrew Brown vs. Robert G. Page, for the term that runs through Dec 31, 2027.
Commonwealth’s Attorney (special election): Patrick R. Jensen, unopposed, for the term that runs through 2027.
Blacksburg Town Council (special election): Leslie C. Harwood and Joel L. Goodhart, with voters choosing up to two for terms that run through 2027.
Three constitutional amendments: Question 1 on reproductive freedom, Question 2 on marriage, and Question 3 on automatically restoring voting rights to people when they’re released from incarceration.
If you don’t have ID with you, you can still vote a provisional ballot. You then have until noon Friday to get a copy of your ID to the Office of Elections. Not sure where you vote? Call the county at 540-382-5741 or the state at 800-552-9745.
🤼 Youth wrestling facility approved on Prices Fork Road
Montgomery County supervisors voted 4-3 last Monday, Oct 26, to grant a special use permit for a youth wrestling facility at 4820 Prices Fork Road in Blacksburg. Techy Athletics plans a 6,000-square-foot building on its 12.8-acre site near Magnolia Lane and Coal Hollow Road. Owner Taylor Baird estimates construction at $1.5 million, and the site will have 41 parking spaces. Chair April DeMotts, Vice Chair Steve Fijalkowski, Todd King and Anthony Grafsky voted yes. Mary Biggs, Gunin Kiran and Derek Kitts voted no. The Planning Commission had recommended approval 8-0 in September.
School, club, recreational and travel teams will be able to rent the space for practices, and it will host training clinics on some weekends. Proposed hours are 4pm to 9pm. Baird, whose two young kids wrestle for a county travel team, says he expects close to 100 middle school wrestlers at the Blacksburg school alone this year. Blacksburg Middle School’s first all-girls team already has more than 30 wrestlers, coach AJ Prussin said. “Girls wrestling is exploding,” he said.
Biggs and Kiran both cited traffic on Prices Fork Road, a mostly rural two-lane road in that section, and Biggs said she worried about cars getting in and out of the site. A neighbor told WDBJ7 that the property sits on a bend and that at least four crashes have happened nearby. Kiran suggested the owners work with the county’s economic development office to find another site. Baird hopes to break ground this year and open in 2027.
🏀 Basketball is back at Cassell this week
Both Hokie basketball teams open at home this week. The women host NC Central tonight at 6pm, and the men host Coppin State Tuesday at 7pm. Men’s season tickets are sold out for 2026-27, and a limited number of women’s season tickets remain. Single-game tickets and four-packs are on sale.
The women start without Lauren Hurst, a 6-3 transfer from Tennessee. Hurst has already had surgery. “Lauren Hurst will be out for the whole season with a knee injury, which has been a disappointing loss for us,” Duffy said. The men return Ben Hammond, Amani Hansberry and Tyler Johnson, and beat Maryland in a closed scrimmage. Mercer visits Cassell Thursday, and the men play Iowa in Sioux City on Nov 10.
📰 News around the NRV
🏥 Carilion closes on Huckleberry Park land. Carilion Clinic finalized its $5 million purchase of a little more than five acres at the front of Christiansburg’s Huckleberry Park on Oct 28, a day after council approved the sale. Carilion says it’s exploring outpatient services such as imaging, but plans aren’t final and still need state approval. Cardinal News
🚒 A tax break for volunteer firefighters. Montgomery County cut personal property taxes by 60% for active volunteer firefighters this summer, and the savings will show up on December bills. “We hope it helps with retention …,” County Administrator Angie Hill said. Statewide, 91% of fire departments report fewer volunteers since 2020. Cardinal News
🚧 Night work on Route 460 westbound. Through Thursday, from 9pm to 6am, VDOT is patching Route 460 westbound, with the exit 3 on-ramp closed, narrowed Roanoke Street on-ramps and right-lane closures. VDOT
🏃 Hokies post their best ACC cross country finish since 2017. On their home course Friday, Tech’s men finished second behind Wake Forest, and the women finished third behind NC State and Clemson. George Couttie placed third in 22:18.0, and five Hokies earned All-ACC honors. Virginia Tech Athletics | ACC
⚽ Soccer sweep at Thompson Field. The men beat Syracuse 2-1 Friday on Alex Perez’s 69th-minute goal to finish 8-5-3. The women beat Boston College 3-2 Thursday for coach Chugger Adair’s 180th career win, and they close the regular season at No. 22 Florida State Thursday. Men’s recap | Women’s recap
🏈 Football visits No. 19 SMU Friday. The bowl-eligible Hokies come off their bye week to play in Dallas Friday at 7pm on ESPN. Hokies On SI
📌 Community Board
🐕 Missing dog in Dublin. Skye weighs 25 pounds, wears a pink collar and hasn’t been seen since Thursday near Dublin Elementary. If you see her, call 540-320-8827. post
🪲 Watch for spotted lanternfly egg masses. Egg-laying runs through November. Check trees, outdoor furniture and vehicles, and scrape any masses into rubbing alcohol or soapy water. post
💼 Virginia Tech Teen Lab is hiring. The lab is looking for a Prevention Coordinator, a flexible school-year job expanding school-based substance-use prevention. post
📸 Fall graduation photos for $100. A local photographer says this is the last round at that price. post
🧺 New: Handled Laundry Co. A pickup-and-delivery laundry service introduced itself to the New River Valley this week. post
A word from our sponsor…
I Almost Threw Out My Keurig. It Wasn't Broken.
Every cup from my Keurig started tasting weak, flat, stale — so I unplugged it and stuck it in a closet. Then I learned the dirty secret of grocery store K-Cups: by the time a pod reaches your kitchen, it's usually spent months going from factory to warehouse to truck to shelf. The flavor oils are long gone. Some brands even over-roast to hide it.
The fix wasn't a new machine. It was fresh pods from Angelino's, a family-owned L.A. roastery that roasts, packs, and ships within 3–5 days — straight to your door, from 39¢ a cup. Over 1,000,000 happy customers. 50+ flavors, no subscription required, and 15% off your first order, applied automatically at checkout.
THANKS!
Thanks for reading Blacksburg Connect today. Please share it with someone who would enjoy!
Forwarded this Email? Subscribe to get the latest Blacksburg news, local events, and deals in your inbox