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Festival takes area back to its roots

By Kimmi Baston managing Editor 3 min read

In Pennsylvania, few counties can boast numbers of sheep higher than Greene County. Greene County was built on a foundation of sheep farmers, and it continues to celebrate that heritage today.

More than a decade ago, Carol Adamson, co-chair of the Sheep and Fiber Fest, hatched the idea to hold a proper celebration for the sheep and fiber of Greene County.

“The idea was that a lot of folks didn’t realize that Greene County had the most sheep and wool of any of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania,” said Adamson.

“We wanted to tell people the history of Greene County and how sheep were handled a hundred years ago, how they dealt with the sheep then and now.”

And so was born the annual Greene County Sheep and Fiber Fest, hosted each year at the Greene County Fairgrounds.

Flocks of sheep in Greene County used to consist of hundreds of sheep; now, they often have less than 100.

“That has dropped for a couple of reasons,” said Adamson.

“It has changed because farming has changed.”

But rather than deterring her, the drop in the number of Greene County sheep has made Adamson feel it’s more important than ever to celebrate sheep and fiber.

In its 12th year, the festival will be held on May 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It’s open to everyone in Greene County and beyond; invitations have been extended as far as Maryland for the event.

Entrance is free, and none of the activities have a cost associated with them, but there will be food and vendor items for sale during the festival.

One of the hottest events at the festival is the Sheep to Shawl contest.

Teams of people with varying skill sets work together to shear a sheep, clean and spin the wool and turn it into a shawl.

“It is timed, but it’s not about time; it’s about taking something from that sheep and turning it into something,” said Adamson.

A winner is crowned, and the shawls are auctioned off to festival-goers later in the event.

There is also a photo contest associated with the event.

Photos submitted will be judged in the last week of April, and the art will be on display at the festival with the winners displayed as well.

Additionally, the festival will feature a dog expo, which will illustrate how a border collie herds sheep.

People will also be able to view different breeds and ages of sheep in an area of the fairgrounds.

Food vendors will teach those interested how to cook dishes with lamb.

There will also be several demonstrations of how to shear sheep and how to shear an alpaca.

Children who attend the event will have opportunities for face painting, crafts and feeding lambs.

Fiber-related items, such as yarn and garments, will be sold by a variety of vendors at the festival, and other vendors will sell goods such as jewelry and soap both handmade.

Throughout the festival, there will be food, wine tastings and music provided for those interested.

More information and contest entry forms can be found online at http://www.waynesburgpa.org/Events/sheep.

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