Cider and Loving Gifts for Valentine’s day

Albemarle CiderWorks played its role in Valentine’s day this year with a Pop-Up Market. The event lasted from 2-5 p.m. this past Feb. 13. The snow was coming down, but that did not stop Albemarle CiderWorks from hosting an event that offered presents for loved ones, live music, and cider for those over 21. 

Initially, there were four areas to look through. The bar was to the left, with an array of different ciders to try. Directly in the middle of the room was a concession stand with different collectibles for Albemarle CiderWorks. Concession stands for The Glass Turtle, and Cville Candy Company stood behind either side of the collectibles for Albemarle CiderWorks, each offering affordable presents for loved ones on Valentine’s day.

The Glass Turtle is run and owned by Debra Susan Abbot. Her jewelry selection included bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. The jewelry, as described on her Facebook page, is “handmade jewelry using gemstones, pearls, wood, metals, fibers, recycled and Czech glass.” When asked what materials she enjoyed using most, she said, “I love working with turquoise and all kinds of jaspers.” Prices varied, depending on what piece of jewelry was chosen: earrings priced at $8-12, bracelets ranged between $20-26, and necklaces ranged from $28-70. 

The Cville Candy Company concession was run by David Shalloway. He immediately handed guests that arrived “Valentines.” These were individually wrapped chocolates made by the Cville Candy Company. Each package had the candy’s name, and the ingredients written and attached to them, including a warning, “Made on Equipment also used to process tree nuts, peanuts, and wheat.” There were many different chocolates available. A significant amount of the chocolates were mixed with either a form of nut, fruit, or berry to make the sweet treat. Prices on the chocolates can be found on the Cville Candy company website, and vary between $4 and $14, depending on the size and amount that is being bought. 

The bar area did not have many different ciders out to see, but the menu offered 19 different drinks to choose from, three were only available by the bottle. Bottles were available for $12-20, glasses were available for $5-8. 

Irish music filled the air in the seating area. The four men playing the music within the first hour of the event were: Wally Farrell, Craig Dubose, Aaron Owell, and Seamus Wade. These four are not a band, they gather more people to play as they go, and often they send out invitations for different occasions, so they don’t end up with too many people playing the same instrument. This group often meets at Albemarle CiderWorks every second Sunday of the month and plays well known Irish music. 

Albemarle CiderWorks has many upcoming events open to the public. These events include: Trivia in the Orchard on March 3, Grafting Workshop on March 12, and live music events on March 12 and 13. More information on these events is available on Albemarle CiderWorks’ Facebook page.