August 2016
“HAVE A WILD, WOOLLY WEEKEND AT IDAHO’S TRAILING OF THE SHEEP FESTIVAL”
Unique Cultural Festival Celebrates 20th Year in 2016
It’s wild, woolly and wonderfully authentic. It’s the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival, celebrating its 20th year,
October 5th – 9th, 2016, in the picturesque Wood River Valley of Idaho. Each fall, the popular Trailing of the Sheep Festival celebrates
the 150+ year tradition of moving sheep (‘trailing’) from high mountain summer pastures down through the valley to traditional winter
grazing and lambing areas in the south. This annual migration is Idaho living history and a weekend long family-friendly festival that
highlights the people, arts, cultures and traditions of sheep ranching in Idaho and the West. This is not a reenactment; it is living
history at its best. This wild and woolly event has national and international appeal, drawing thousands each autumn to the charming
mountain communities of Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley in central Idaho.
The Trailing of the Sheep Festival has garnered its share of top accolades including being recognized as one of the Top Ten Fall
Festivals in the World by msn.com travel, Top Ten US Fall Festivals by smartertravel.com, Top Animal Festivals in the
World and Top Ten Fall Festivals by USA Today, America’s Wackiest Fall Festivals by HuffingtonPost, One of the Greatest
Cultural Events in the West by Northwest Travel, Best Festival by readers of Sun Valley Guide and recipient of the Idaho
Governor’s Award for Cultural Heritage.
In 2016, the Festival concludes its three-year Sheep Tales Gathering session project of “Celebrating Generations,” designed to share and
save the memories of these Western sheep ranching families. This year, the voices of the next generation will share their perspectives on
how, and if, they can take up the dream from their great grandfathers and make it their own. This may be the most important
storytelling session the event has ever had as it addresses the past while leading into the future.
The five-day Festival includes nonstop activities in multiple venues - history, folk and traditional arts, a Sheep Folklife Fair, a Fiber
Festival with classes and workshops, music, dance, storytelling, two and a half days of Championship Sheepdog Trials and the always
entertaining Trailing of the Sheep Parade with 1,500 sheep hoofing it down Main Street in Ketchum. There is dancing, singing, music
and food honoring the tradition of welcoming fathers, brothers, sons and family home from a long summer of grazing in the mountains.
This Festival honors the colorful history, heritage and cultures of Idaho and the West. It is a celebration of tradition that is well loved by
people of all ages and all walks of life.
2016 Highlights include:
•
Culinary Events showcasing Lamb Tastings, Lamb Feast at the Folklife Fair, Cooking with Lamb classes, a Farm to Table Lamb
Dinner and a Parade Lamb BBQ
•
Wool Festival with classes, workshops, a quilt show and special presentations
•
Sheep Tales Gathering, Photography Outing, Hikes and Histories featuring Idaho’s sheep ranchers and renowned storytellers
•
Sheep Folklife Fair featuring the Basque, Scottish, Polish & Peruvian dancers and musicians, sheep shearing, folk, fiber and
traditional artists, storytelling, children’s activities, entertainment and food
•
Sheepherder’s Ball with the headliner “Hot Club of Cowtown” from Austin – named best music group in 2012 by True West
magazine
•
Two and a half days of Championship Sheepdog Trials with 70 of the most talented border collies in the U.S.
•
Trailing of the Sheep Parade (authentic living Idaho history) with 1,500 sheep trailing down Main Street in Ketchum
For information and detailed schedule of events, visit www.trailingofthesheep.org.
Media Contacts:
Laura Musbach Drake, Executive Director, Trailing of the Sheep Festival, 208.720.0585, [email protected]
Carol Waller, CW Communications, 208.720.3965, [email protected]