Heading to Cockrell Hard Cider Tasting Room
We may have said this in other blog posts (okay we definitely have), but we love to follow the music, especially Billy Stoops and Leanne Trevalyan! So, when Billy posted his June lineup, listing a cider tasting room in north Puyallup, we were excited to once again be heading somewhere new. Little did we know just how great this orchard and tasting room combination At Cockrell Hard Cider would be!
We both got off work early to make sure we could make it to downtown Puyallup by the 5pm music start time. Thursday is our Friday for both of us, so Thursday events work great for our schedule, provided we can make it out to locations on time! We weren’t sure what this place would bring but had seen on Cockrell Hard Cider’s Instagram a note about bringing your own chairs for the lawn, so we tossed a few in the back. And thank goodness for that! Our daughter got there around 4:45 and it was already packed. We arrived shortly after and got set up on the lawn with a cider in our hand.
Mid 70s, bright blue sky, sitting in lawn chairs in the middle of a grassy field listening to Leanne and Billy play… Not much gets better than that! We are starting to find that we love hard ciders. First the Mill Haus in Eatonville and now Cockrell Hard Cider. There is just something refreshing about it on a warm summer evening.
We weren’t the only ones thinking this… After Billy had enjoyed a few drinks during his set, Leanne remarked how his stories were different this time around, the difference between Bourbon Billy and Sweet Cidery Billy. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the quip! There simply isn’t a duo that can beat Leanne Trevalyan and Billy Stoops on stage, and every show is a testament to why we follow them.
Now of course, what would be a live music evening without a little dancing. I (Denice) wasn’t sure if I was feeling up to it. But after some cider and encouragement, Zeek got me out on the dance floor… Which was actually just more of the grass!
We danced to several songs, but maybe not as many as some nights. The grass makes it difficult to hit some of our moves correctly! So, while we had a great time, we limited dancing a bit to save our legs and avoid a fall. But it was great to see others get up and enjoy dancing to the music as well!
It was a fantastic way to spend the evening! Even though music was scheduled for 5:00-7:00, Billy’s “one more song” turned into about 5-6 more and they wrapped up around 7:45. But we weren’t complaining!
As they packed up the stage and had last call for cider, the owners let their dog out after most folks had left. I (Denice) was over the moon to meet Elwood, a gorgeous friendly black lab! He loved the attention but was pretty content to make rounds and check if folks had dropped any food on the lawn. I need to start carrying dog treats in my bag! There’s nothing better, in my opinion, than a good vineyard (or in this case apple orchard) dog!
It was the perfect night, and of course we already have our next event scheduled. We love this stage of life going from show to show and enjoying each one! And it is great to see the folks we love like Billy and Leanne and other friends at these events. Whether we are catching up with housemates from Sunbanks, meeting new regulars, or saying hi to owners’ dogs, we love every minute. Cockrell Hard Cider is an amazing property, with live music every Thursday for the summer and some weekends, and we will certainly be back!