September always feels a little like standing in a doorway. Summer isn’t quite ready to leave, but you know fall is waiting just around the corner. The days get a little shorter, the air starts to change, and suddenly there’s a new list of places to go, people to meet, music to discover, and reasons to get out of the house for another adventure.

That feels like a pretty good way to describe this issue of Hashtag.

Our first feature story takes us into Lewisburg for a visit to Our Thyme Tavern, the newest chapter in a building with a story of its own. Ryan and Yarrow have brought their family back to the place where their own story began, and they’re building something new without forgetting what came before them. There’s good food, a lot of hard work, and maybe most importantly, a genuine desire to make everyone feel welcome. Also, if someone puts hot honey chicken in front of me, I’m probably not asking too many questions.

And then there’s Aristotle Jones.

Our extended Unplugged feature takes us a little deeper into what it means to love a place, and to understand where you came from before deciding where you’re going. Jones talks about his grandfather, Appalachian music, Black Appalachian history, juke joints, West Virginia, and the idea of “going back to move forward.” His new album, Appalachian Soul Power, and companion novel, Mountain Alchemy, are both deeply rooted in that idea.

Exploring our connection to place carries into a Q&A feature on the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory. Perched atop Peters Mountain in Monroe County, Hanging Rock has become a gathering place for birders, hikers, families, and anyone willing to make the climb for a 360-degree view of the mountains. Volunteers plan to count migrating raptors again this season, and grassroots fundraising efforts continue to make sure the next chapter of Hanging Rock includes more opportunities for education and discovery for visitors.

Then we head to the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery for the 20th annual Freshwater Folk Festival. Twenty years is a long time to keep a festival going, and I love what this one represents. It isn’t just about the science or even the love of nature. It’s about people sharing what they know, families discovering something together, traditions being passed along, and a community making room for something more. There’s a little bit of everything there, and that’s exactly the point.

Maybe that’s the thread running through these pages.

We talk a lot about what’s new around here, but sometimes the most interesting stories are about what happens when we take something with history and give it another life. A family comes home and opens a new restaurant. An artist looks at the full spectrum of history to find the inspiration to move forward with joy and bold individualism. A beloved mountain overlook prepares for a new chapter while the people who have cared for it keep showing up.

That’s what makes this place interesting.

So as summer winds down and September begins, I hope you’ll get out there. Try somewhere new or revisit somewhere familiar with a fresh perspective. Hear some music. Eat something delicious. Learn something you didn’t know.

The past informs us, but our future is what we make of it.

See you out there,

Zachery