Credit: Illustration by Zeke Barbaro / Getty Images

In a year of so much sorrow and rancor, we here at the Chronicle decided to take Thanksgiving at face value and do just that: Give thanks. There are a lot of people in our community going above and beyond to make Austin a better place – sometimes in a professional capacity, sometimes just to be a good neighbor – and we wanted to single them out. Not all of them, unfortunately; we had to stop somewhere. We liked the synchronicity of Food Editor Jessi Cape’s suggestion of “20 in 2020” – a number we’ve totally cheated by cramming in several organizations and grouping some people together. What can we say, we have a lot of gratitude to spread around. So consider this list an incomplete but heartfelt tribute to some extraordinary Austinites who are leading by example.

My own gratitude extends to Arts & Culture Editor Robert Faires, who took over this project on short notice and shaped it into something truly special.

Happy reading, and a safe and happy Thanksgiving to all.

Online This Week

He Was What He Were: In his downtime from playing Bill (of … & Ted fame), Alex Winter has made himself at home behind the camera, directing documentaries about technology and music. Screens Editor Richard Whittaker interviews Winter about his latest doc, Zappa, about experimental music pioneer Frank Zappa.

New at Chronicle Cooking: Check out our recipe database for potato gnocchi with tomato sauce and empanadas Argentinas from the Buenos Aires kitchen, a Thai summery salad from Fluff Meringues, and a spicy pimento cheese to pair with C.L. Butaud’s 2019 Pa Pa Frenchy Rosé.

Growing More Than Just Corn: Lina Fisher explores how Tito’s Vodka is funding community gardens in 25 cities via its Block to Block program.

Staving Off Boredom: Give blood, see the circus, run a virtual 5K, and more ideas for staying entertained over the Thanksgiving break.

Blackillac performs at Empire Garage on November 21 Credit: Photo by David Brendan Hall

Last Week in Live Music: Blackillac, Hong Kong Wigs, and Luck Reunion’s tribute to Billy Joe Shaver all pop up in David Brendan Hall’s weekly photo gallery.

This article appears in November 27 • 2020.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...