At certain points, it feels like everything is starting to hum.

Lately, I’ve been lucky enough to stand close to some hummingbirds, so everything around me was literally humming. But things are also humming along at VERVE. We’ve been able to host or participate in some amazing events recently. In late May, I had the opportunity to do a Q&A with Jennifer Buffett, daughter-in-law of Warren Buffett, at the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Power of the Purse luncheon. Later this month, I hope you’ll join me for a panel about storytelling at the Type-A Parent Conference, a project of the powerhouse Asheville mommy blogger Kelby Carr. The conference runs June 23-25 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville.

On June 25, the VERVE staff will load up a car and take the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s Family Farm Tour, which runs all weekend. ASAP’s annual self-guided driving tour of Western North Carolina farms is a great way to see local food producers and sample their wares. The day promises to be eye-opening, tasty and nothing if not a wholesome good time. This year, there are a record number of farms (41) on the circuit, many of them run by women. See our story on page 20 for details.

We’ll have more exciting events in the works later this summer, too. Once moonshiner Troy Ball starts giving tasting tours in June, we’ll stop by Highland Brewing Company in East Asheville to try her ‘shine (see page 50). As a friend said recently, it’s the season for getting together. We hope to see you soon, and that things are humming along for you, too.

Best,

Jess McCuan
jess@vervemag.com