Volunteer

Many hands make light work – the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival would not be possible without the support of many volunteers.

General Volunteers

We need general volunteers ahead of time, on Saturday and Sunday during Festival hours, and to clean up after the Festival closes. Here are just a few of the volunteer opportunities. More details will be posted on our online volunteer sign up page when it goes live.

Festival Set-Up – This always happens on the Sunday before the Festival, which will be April 28, 2024, and includes a pot luck lunch. This is mostly manual labor, like setting up sheep pens.

During the Festival – Sometimes we need a helping hand to just carry something or pitch in where needed. We need general volunteers for various tasks on Saturday and Sunday during Festival hours.

Sunday Night Tear Down – Time to put the Festival back in the box for another year! Young and/or strong arms are especially needed here to help take down the sheep pens. THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS ON SUNDAY NIGHT.

Greeters

Come be a friendly, welcoming face as a greeter at the front gate.

Retail Sales

Help with the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival’s 2024 retail sales. On Sunday, April 28, help set up shelving units (and enjoy a potluck lunch); jobs on Monday through Friday include folding T-shirts (learning the fine art of using a folding board along the way) plus stocking the shelves with T-shirts and other Festival merchandise; from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, you can help with sales (no money handling), restocking merchandise, and keeping the lines of customers moving. After the Festival closes on Sunday there are very important take-down tasks, as the building has to be empty by the end of the evening. This is a huge undertaking that is often forgotten. Please come help if you have some time. All work is indoors, on a concrete floor.

Fleece Show & Sale

The Fleece Show committee organizes their own cadre of volunteers. If you have volunteered for them in the past, they will be in touch. If you have not volunteered for them before and are interested in doing so, email .


Everyone who volunteers gets an exclusive volunteer shirt which is NOT available to the general public!

Everyone who volunteers in advance to work on Festival weekend receives free admission to the Festival!

Maryland students – depending on county/school policies, we may be able to certify Student Service Learning hours. Please contact to discuss eligibility and requirements. 


How to Get in on the Action

We will have an online volunteer sign up page to let you choose the tasks and times that work best for you; the link will be added here as soon as it is available. In the meantime, use this link to be added to our volunteer interest email list and be sent an email when the sign up page goes live.

Volunteers MUST sign up before the Festival. We need to know who is coming and when.

All volunteers should check-in at the Volunteer Check-In Tent just outside the main gate upon arrival at the Festival, then proceed to the specified location at the start of their shift.

Email general questions about volunteering to .

Thank you for helping!

2024 tickets and catalogs now on sale!

Tickets and catalogs for the 2024 festival are now on sale at https://mswf2024.eventbrite.com. The deadline for ordering catalogs is March 15.

Schedule of Events

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New this year: If you want to get a catalog before the Festival, you must order by March 15. You can order at mswf2024.eventbrite.com/. Festival tickets are on sale there now, too! If you prefer to pay by check, you can download a catalog order form from our website at sheepandwool.org/purchase-a-catalog/; just make sure it reaches us by March 15.A limited number of catalogs will be available in the T-Shirt Sales building at the Festival while supplies last. We are now suggesting a $5.00 donation for catalogs picked up at the Festival. #mdsw #mdsw2024 ... See MoreSee Less
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Registration is now open at mswf2024.eventbrite.com for our Family Activities on festival weekend. Although targeted towards children, they are open to all ages. (Note: Parents of children 7 and under must stay with the child during the class.)This year's activities include:--God's Eye (Age 5+) --Card Weaving (Age 7+) --Needle Felted Hair Ties (Age 10+) --Lucet Braiding (Age 7+) --Exploring Simple Spinning (Age 5+) --Quick to Crochet (Age 7+)--Quick to Knit (Age 7+)--Needle Felted Fire Dragon (Age 7+) --Tapestry Weaving (Age 8+) --Hand Carding (Age 8+)--Needle Felted Beads (Age 10+) Spaces are limited, so pre-registration is recommended. If classes are not filled, registration at the Festival may be possible; check at the Family Activities Tents upon arrival. #mdsw #mdsw2024 #familyactivities #knit #crochet #weave #handcard #Spin #felt #lucet #needlefelt ... See MoreSee Less
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