Full day of bands, drinks and food
One brewery, three food booths, six bands and eight cideries add up to the Methow Valley’s first CiderGrass Festival on Saturday (June 11) from noon-8 p.m. at the John Doran Ranch north of Twisp.
Presented by the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce and the Methow Valley Ciderhouse, and sponsored by eight Methow Valley businesses, the CiderGrass Festival features bluegrass music, delicious local and regional food and beverages, and fun for people of all ages.
The seeds of CiderGrass were sewn years ago by Richard Wasson who, with his wife, Lynne, planted apple trees on 15 acres of rich soil on an old lake bed outside Winthrop in 2006. Wasson dreamed of a festival that provided great music and gave area cideries and breweries a chance to showcase their products.
“But I could never implement the festival due to being a restaurateur,” said Wasson, referring to the Methow Valley Ciderhouse, which he and Lynne founded in 2007 as a tasting room and expanded to a full-fledged restaurant in 2015.
The Wassons sold the Methow Valley Ciderhouse to longtime employees JP Esquivel and Mireya Perez in late 2021, however, creating space in Wasson’s schedule for carrying out his vision for CiderGrass.
The John Doran Ranch provides a quintessential Methow Valley festival experience. Riverside, with big views, a rustic stage and a striking barn, the ranch will host the music, food and tastings in a horse pasture. The ranch’s owner, John Doran, has said in the past that he views the property as a community asset and is enthusiastic about sharing it with others. “It’s a great venue for this sort of thing,” Wasson said.
Food will be available from Saskatoon Kitchens, FORK food truck, and the Ciderhouse Barbecue Smoker.
Wasson is a drummer but loves bluegrass music, which typically has no percussion.
“We have had bluegrass acts at the Methow Valley Ciderhouse in the past,” Wasson said of the restaurant’s live entertainment. “We always got a lot of attendance. People around here like bluegrass but you don’t tend to see a lot of it.”
Three of the six bluegrass and bluegrass-inspired bands for CiderGrass are local; four if you count Notable Exceptions, comprised of former Methow Valley residents and Horse Crazy Cowgirl Band members Jennifer Epps and Judy Coder, who now live in Ellensburg. The three bona fide local bands are Pat Hale Project, Gobblers Knob, and 4 Rivers String Band with Emile Clothier and Phil Woras, among others. Pine Hearts — who have played in the Methow Valley several times — and The High Seagrass will travel from Olympia and Seattle, respectively, to perform at the festival.
But music won’t be the only form of entertainment, Wasson said. Full admission (for those 21 and over) includes eight 4-ounce tastings, allowing guests to sample Old Schoolhouse Brewery beers and ciders created by Methow Valley Ciderhouse in Winthrop, Booth Canyon Orchard in Twisp, Swede Cider in Tonasket, and five others from around the region.
“We live in a part of the world that has the best soil, the best latitude, and the best water for growing apples and pears for cider. In North Central Washington we have more cideries than breweries,” Wasson said. “This festival is a celebration of these ciders and cideries.”
Advance ticket prices range from free (11 and under), to $30 for music only, to $55 for the full music and tasting package. Ticket prices will be higher at the door. Volunteers earn free admission to the festival. Visit www.volunteermethow.org/organizations/winthrop-chamber-of-commerce for more information about volunteering.
Doors open at 11:45 a.m. at the John Doran Ranch, 20088 Highway 20. Bring your own chair or blanket for festival seating on the grass. For general information about CiderGrass, including ticket pricing options and online sales, visit https://winthropwashington.com/events/cidergrass-festival.
