What is it about three-day weekends that makes us want to cram as many activities into them as possible? Where normally we might be lazy, I suppose the extended break from school and work makes us want to take full advantage of our free time. The mild(ish) weather, and the nearing end of the school year must add to our desire to celebrate too. We started out our Memorial Day Weekend with a trip to the Beaver Dam Food Truck Jam in Davidson, and rolled into day two with a second family-friendly event in the Lake Norman area.
Yesterday we visited D9 Brewing Company in Cornelius for the first time, to experience their Summer Concert Series. We’ve been meaning to visit D9 anyway, but the lineup of music and food trucks for this event was the catalyst we needed to finally make a move.
The event was scheduled to run from 5PM – 10PM. With our kids in tow, we aimed to arrive early, getting there around 5:15 PM. The streets were already lined with parked cars on both sides, but we were lucky enough to find one of the last remaining spots on the road. There are multiple parking lots surrounding D9, but it was unclear if parking was allowed, so we steered clear. I’d aim to get there earlier rather than later for this reason.
Upon entry, we were able to quickly get wristbands for drinking, and there was virtually no line for drink tickets (1 ticket for beer, 2 tickets for wine). I stuck to D9’s Into The White Pacific White Ale, and it was perfect for my light-weight self to sip while perusing the event.
Drinks in hand, our next mission was to explore the food options. Typically, events that boast “food trucks” make me a little nervous for my extremely picky family. I need to know what those food trucks are or I’m probably not even going to bother to come, knowing the offerings will be rejected and we’ll be forced to find food elsewhere. Fortunately the line up for food trucks was on a flyer posted on D9 Brewing Company’s Instagram account, and the food options sounded both plentiful and diverse enough to please my party.
Hot dogs from the Dog Haus, and a grilled cheese with fries from Nan’s Porch food truck were enough to satisfy my kids.
Well, their stomachs anyway. After they ate, their number one concern was the spring-free trampoline being setup nearby. While we definitely weren’t the first to find parking, we were the first in line to jump. This ended up being the most popular kid activity of the evening, and only one kid is allowed to jump at a time, so the line got pretty lengthy (which we also remember happening at Laketoberfest last year). If they’re around for future events, we’ll definitely be sure to get in line quickly.
After some bouncing, it was grown-up meal time.
Dumpling Girls food truck was delicious, and dumplings might be my new favorite hand snack. I’ll be keeping an eye out for this blue truck in the future. Honestly, seeing Dumpling Girls food truck on the line up was one of the biggest motivating factors in our decision to come. Not that I’d ever had it before, but cold beer and fresh hot dumplings sounded like a pretty stellar combination, and I wasn’t disappointed.
With King of Pops set up right by the exit, there’s no way we were leaving without a treat. We picked out a Strawberry Lemonade to share.
Our stay at D9 lasted for a few hours, and we had a great time. The music (from local bands Laylo and Coddle Creek), food, beer, and atmosphere were exactly what were looking for in a laid back summer evening outdoors. There were even some vendors we didn’t get a chance to visit that we would have liked to, like Artesanal Custom Lab, a local creator of beautiful leather goods. For all of these reasons, we definitely plan to return for more this summer, and will keep our eyes peeled for the next lineup.
C L T B E S T S 