Seven years ago, Fenceline founder Sam Perry made a batch of hard cider for a friend’s wedding. Today, his cidery is has grown to become an established, cherished community gathering space along the Mancos River.
To celebrate seven successful years, its having an anniversary party on March 1 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Sweetwater Gypsies will serve wood-fired pizza from its food truck outside, they’ll have a “birthday bar” of 7-year-old cider, and Afrobeatniks will start playing about 5 or 6 p.m.
To accompany the band and dancing partygoers, the cellar will double as a concert venue that day.
“We have a big anniversary party every year,” said manager Jordan Lang. “It’s a way for us to say thanks and to raise a glass to celebrate Fenceline and the community, and all they’ve given us.”
When Fenceline started, the initial vision was for it to be something of a tasting room, where people would go and sample ciders, and buy a bottle to go. But it soon molded into a community gathering space, something Mancos needed more of, said Lang.
That became abundantly clear on Day One, when the whole town showed up on opening night and “drank cider like it’s beer,” Lang laughed.
In the years that followed, it’s become a place where people enjoy Thursday bingo, a peaceful drink beside the river, host fundraisers and celebrate birthdays. Last week, they even hosted a bachelorette party for 75-year-olds.
General Manager Jason Kroll said that in the future, they plan to put their energy back into the space because of this clear “community and connection.” They’ve talked about expanding, too, to “make it more accessible to bands and live music.”
Another focus looking forward is to grow the wholesale part of the business, which is essentially to-go cans and bottles, said Kroll.
Already, they distribute to local breweries and liquor stores, plus Grand Junction, New Mexico and Arizona, though Colorado remains its primary market.
Lang added how they’ve “tried a lot of different things over the years,” namely opening its own food truck, and that they’re now glad to be focusing on one thing: Making cider.
“We’re trying to be the best cider in the Four Corners,” said Kroll.
And all the while, remaining a safe space for the community to connect.
“Over time, we’ve learned that our capacity to give back to the community is large,” Lang said. “We’ve learned our capacity to show up and be a giver is strong.”
Kroll underscored how important “connection to others, connection to orchards, connection to land” is, and how Fenceline “is doing something that promotes and shares that.”
In fact, 80-85% of the apples they use in their product comes from Montezuma County, whether it be from big, bustling orchards or community members donating fruit from their backyard trees.
A big part of the cidery itself is to commemorate our area’s rich orchard history and keeping a piece of that identity and culture alive, Lang said.
And so Fenceline invites the community to come and “raise a glass” on Saturday, to celebrate the cidery and one another.
“It’s a good opportunity to come out and see friends” after being “holed up” all winter long, Lang said. Plus, the forecast says it’ll be almost 60 degrees that day.
“It’s almost like an awakening into spring,” she said.
“It’s fun, it gets wild,” Kroll added. “It’s usually one of the best parties we have all year.”
