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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 8th
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 8th
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.
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