Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Tessa McCullough
Administrative Assistant
(724) 627-8119
tmccullough@waynesburgpa.org
www.waynesburgpa.org

Sheep & Fiber Fest celebrates heritage of local lamb and wool industry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WAYNESBURG, PA – Get ready for sheep-shearing, wool-spinning, dog-shepherding fun as the 8^th Annual Sheep & Fiber Fest descends on the Greene County Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival, which is coordinated by Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful, celebrates the heritage of sheep, wool and fibers in Greene County.

This year’s Sheep & Fiber Fest will again be staged at the fairgrounds, rather than its past location of High Street in downtown Waynesburg, because Waynesburg University’s Commencement exercises are scheduled for the same weekend. Admission remains free, and there will be plenty of activities to enjoy at the fairgrounds.

The festival schedule includes a juried crafts show and sale featuring vendors from throughout the region, many demonstrating and selling fiber-related wares. One of the most popular activities is the “Sheep to Shawl” demonstration in which several teams are in a timed competition to create a finished piece of woolen apparel. Spectators see the process from the actual shearing of the sheep, cleaning and carding of the wool, then spinning and weaving into the finished shawl, all in one quick assembly-line operation. Several spinners and weavers guilds participate, and the finished shawls are offered at auction to festival attendees. Also, new for the 2011 festival, a fiber arts competition is being introduced with prizes and various categories.

A breed pavilion will display various breeds and types of live sheep and alpacas, and visitors will have a chance to watch live demonstrations of a professional sheep-herding dog. Sheep-shearing demonstrations are also scheduled at numerous times throughout the festival.

For anyone interested in cooking lamb, this year’s Sheep & Fiber Fest will feature lamb cooking demonstrations, during which several area cooks will prepare delicious lamb dishes and share tricks, tips and recipes. Plenty of free lamb sampling will be available.

Other activities include live musical entertainment, children’s activities, a kids’ pedal tractor pull and auction and a photography contest and exhibit. This year’s photo contest and exhibit is located at the PA Welcome Center at the Kirby exit off I-79 north for several weeks prior to the festival, and will then be on display at the fair grounds during festival weekend.

The 8^th Annual Sheep & Fiber Fest is sponsored in part by PNC Bank and the American Lamb Board.

For more information on the Sheep & Fiber Fest, please visit www.sheepandfiber.com, or call Festival Chairman Carol Adamson at 724-451-8406. You may also email msm@waynesburgpa.org.

Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful is a nonprofit, Main Street program that operates in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. Funded by the state Department of Community and Economic Development, Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful represents a community endeavor to preserve and revitalize historic downtown Waynesburg and raise awareness of the educational, cultural and historical opportunities, as well as the convenience of shopping, associated with the town.