Apple Picking Day at Casa Solano Orchard
This weekend was just… really nice. Like the kind of Saturday where you get home and think, yeah, I really needed that. Nearly 50 Swifties came out to Casa Solano Orchards for an afternoon of apple picking, good food, games, pictures, Taylor Swift playing in the background, and just hanging out together. There wasn't anything overly complicated about the day. We picked apples, ate smash burgers from Between Da Bunz, played Swiftie games and board games, took approximately a million pictures and had little picnics under the trees. Some people came with their best friends, some came with people they'd already met through SoCal Swifties Club, and some walked into the orchard not knowing anyone at all. And honestly, I think that's one of my favorite things about these days. You never really know what a community is going to look like until everyone actually shows up.
A little autumn afternoon with the Swifties 🍎🍂
Casa Solano Orchards was such a beautiful place to spend the afternoon. It's a family-owned local orchard, and they welcomed our group so warmly from the moment we arrived. There's something really special about getting to bring our community somewhere local and personal while also supporting a small family business. And of course, they played Taylor Swift for us all afternoon, so we were very happy about that.
The whole afternoon had this really easy feeling to it. People wandered around looking for the perfect apple, took pictures for each other, played games, grabbed food, talked to people they'd just met, or simply enjoyed the sunshine. There were picnics under the trees, board games getting surprisingly competitive, and Taylor playing in the background the entire time.
It didn't feel like everyone was trying to accomplish something. We were just there, enjoying a beautiful Saturday together, and sometimes that's enough.
And yes, there were approximately one million photoshoots because obviously we couldn't give Swifties an apple orchard, fall weather, cute outfits, and Taylor Swift playing in the background and expect us not to document it all. There were pictures with apples, pictures in the trees, outfit pictures, food pictures, and definitely a few rounds of, "Wait, take one more." And honestly, I loved seeing it.
The people who came alone. 🤎
This part means a lot to me because I know how intimidating it can be to walk into something when you don't know anyone. Especially when it looks like everyone else already has their people. You might wonder if it's going to be awkward, whether anyone will talk to you, or if you should even go.
And yet, some of you came anyway. You showed up without knowing exactly who you'd meet, and I really hope you know how brave that is. Making new friends as an adult can be hard. It takes courage to walk into an event where you don't know anyone and put yourself out there, even when you're wondering whether you'll fit in.
But that's how friendships start sometimes. You say hi to someone, compliment their outfit, start talking about Taylor, and suddenly you realize you have seventeen other things in common. Maybe you end up playing a game together, taking pictures, or making plans to see each other again. Somehow, that person who was a complete stranger when you walked in isn't quite a stranger anymore.
That's the kind of thing I hope SoCal Swifties Club can continue creating. Not forcing friendships or making everything feel like networking, but simply creating spaces where people have a reason to show up and an opportunity to connect.
Because somehow, Taylor brought all of us here.
This is the part that still feels a little wild to me. At the end of the day, we're all just people who love Taylor Swift, but that one thing has somehow created so many friendships, memories, and experiences that we never would have had otherwise.
We found people through songs and lyrics, concerts and bracelets, screaming the bridge to our favorite song in the car, and that very specific experience of meeting someone who understands exactly why a certain song means so much to you. 😂 Taylor made music that made so many of us feel understood, and somehow those songs have also helped us find each other.
That's what I love most about SoCal Swifties Club. It's not really about putting a bunch of people in the same place because we all like the same artist. It's about what can happen because we're all in the same place — the conversations, friendships, inside jokes, people who become regulars, and the person who came alone to their first event and eventually starts bringing their own friends.
Those are the moments that make a community feel real.
Supporting local while making memories 🍎
I'm also really grateful that this day gave us the chance to support Casa Solano Orchards. There's something special about bringing our community somewhere local and introducing more people to a family-owned business. They welcomed us so warmly, let us bring all of our Swiftie energy into the orchard and even played Taylor for us all day.
We got to enjoy their beautiful orchard, pick apples, eat good food, take pictures, play games, and spend time together while also supporting a local family business. And I love that SCSC can create experiences like that. We don't always have to be in a huge venue or have some massive production. Sometimes it's an orchard, a coffee shop, a park, a theater, or a little local business that opens its doors to us. It's the people you're sharing it with that ultimately make the memory.
We came for the apples… but stayed for the memories.
When I look back at yesterday, I don't think I'll remember exactly how many apples I picked or who won every game. I definitely won't remember how many pictures we took. But I know I'll remember the feeling of looking around and seeing nearly 50 Swifties enjoying a Saturday together.
I'll remember people meeting for the first time, the laughter, the Taylor songs playing through the orchard, the little picnics, the burgers, the cute fall outfits, the photoshoots, and especially the people who came alone and decided to put themselves out there anyway.
And I'll remember thinking, this is why we do this.
Because sometimes community doesn't have to be this huge, complicated thing. Sometimes it's just an afternoon in an apple orchard, a group of people who love the same music, a few new conversations, a lot of laughter, and a memory you didn't have before you decided to show up.
Thank you to everyone who came out yesterday. Thank you to everyone who brought your friends, everyone who came alone, everyone who introduced themselves to someone new, and everyone who helped make the afternoon what it was. And thank you to Casa Solano Orchards for welcoming our Swiftie crew and letting us spend such a beautiful fall day there. 🤎🍎
This community exists because you keep showing up, and I genuinely can't wait to see where we all go next. Because this was only one Saturday, and we have a lot more memories to make.
Next stop… 🖤
We're heading into our biggest night of the year: REPUTATION OF A TORTURED SHOWGIRL GALA, our SoCal Swifties Club Gala on October 17, 2026, at Wisteria Theatre. It's going to be a night for Taylor, friendship, community, music, dressing up, dancing, and celebrating everything we've built together. Come with your besties, or come solo and make some new ones. Either way, we'd love to have you there. 🤎
XO,
Joy
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