Welcome!

Welcome to our 50th!

The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is the flagship event of the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association. As the association president, I see firsthand the effort and teamwork needed by the officers, board members, committee members, and dozens and dozens of volunteers needed to host this event. Like all who help host the Festival, I need to thank my wife, Jan, who is the Festival vendor coordinator for our over 250 vendors. At times it is more than a full-time job managing applications, contracts, answering emails, and designing site plans. She negotiates with the vendors that supply tents, tables, chairs; then there are the permits to apply for and all those regulations to adhere to. This is only one example of what many do, there is no “I” in this team. I cannot thank this team enough that works so hard to pull off this fantastic festival with more sheep and wool than you can imagine.

Our cost to host the Festival has gone up dramatically in the past couple of years. Every service and supplier we need to run the Festival have significantly increased their prices. One example are all the white tents you see all around the Festival, their cost has tripled. We hope you understand we had to raise our admission fee to help cover the increase in expenses. If you are in position to do so, please consider donating to the Festival. A gift from you will help ensure the Festival will continue far into the future.

While at the Festival, take time and take in a sheep show, or walk through the sheep barns and thank the participants. If it were not for the shepherds raising and caring for their flocks, then we would not have all that fabulous wool.

Now on the bright side – come help us celebrate our 50th anniversary!

Jeff White, President, Maryland Sheep Breeders Association

Dedication

The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival could not exist without its volunteers. It’s as simple as that. From its founders and committee members to our dumpster-diving recycling team and stall cleaners, thousands of dedicated helpers have rolled through the Festival every year, offering countless hours of hard work and heartfelt devotion to our mission. Tackling tasks large and small, they have all contributed to the growth of what has become one of the world’s largest gatherings of sheep breeders, spinners, weavers, and knitters. Sheep don’t have wings, but if they did, these many thousands of volunteers would be the wind beneath them. Some have been pivotal in getting the Festival off the ground, like Carroll County extension agent David Greene and his wife Nancy, who knew everything about the local sheep community. Mary Streaker, an early chairman of the Festival, put us on solid footing in the 1980s, and graphic designer David Ashton created our visual identity, now recognized around the world. Every year, I look at this Festival that I love — our vast and growing community of humans and animals — with such gratitude. What a journey it has been! And by my side through all of it has been my husband, Larry Fisher, who held my hand whether he agreed with me or not, and turned everything I could think of into reality; and my daughter, Valentine, who literally grew up with the Festival.

 
Gwen Handler, Chairman, Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

 

 

2023 Featured Breed: Jacob

Learn more about the Jacob breed and talk to JSBA members in the Breed Display Barn (Barn 7-8 on the map) while you are at the Festival.

Schedule of Events

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Note from the festival office - Fleece Show & Sale checks (premiums and fleece sale proceeds) have all been delivered to the post office. Auction checks and checks for Sheep Show premiums have all been written and signed and are in the process of being stuffed into envelopes (fingers crossed that I don't run out of envelopes before Staples delivers more on Monday). Factoid - those three categories generated a total of 300 checks, which is a stack almost 2" high. Waiting for payment information from the Skein & Garment committee so I can write checks for their special prizes. Ditto for payments to the Sheep-to-Shawl teams. ... See MoreSee Less
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In case you missed our earlier announcement, we are now accepting orders for a second printing of large tote bags and moss green t-shirts at www.sheepman.com/product-category/maryland-sheep-wool-festival-online/. Orders will be accepted through COB on Wednesday, May 24th. After that time, the order will go to the printer. They have given us a turn around time of around 2 weeks to have the items printed. Once we have the shirts in hand, we will start shipping to fulfill the orders. Your credit card will not be charged until your order ships. Note: The "guesstimated" shipping fee that is computer generated by the online sales platform at the time of your order tends to run high. You will likely notice the actual charge when your order is shipped is considerably less. Store pickup at the Sheepman Supply showroom in Frederick, MD is also possible; put "store pick up" in special instructions when you check out and you won't be charged the shipping. #mdsw #mdsw2023 #festivalgear #celebrating50years ... See MoreSee Less
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Due to the overwhelming popularity of our 50th anniversary items, we are now accepting orders for a second printing of select items at www.sheepman.com/product-category/maryland-sheep-wool-festival-online/. The order period will run until COB on Wednesday, May 24, at which time we will send the order off to the screen printing company. The delivery time will run 2-4 weeks from that point. These second printing items are limited to the large boat tote bag and a short-sleeve t-shirt in Moss green. The shirts are a ComfortWash by Hanes garment-dyed t-shirts in 5.5 ounce, 100% ring-spun cotton and standard unisex sizing, sizes S to 3X. All sales on this second printing will be final (no returns or exchanges). There is also a small quantity of already-printed items available on a first-come, first- served basis until supplies are exhausted:Short-sleeve t-shirt in “Indigo Blue” – Small (16), Medium (14), Large (8), XL (6), 2X (4), 4X (4), 5X (2)Hooded long-sleeve t-shirt in “Saltwater” – Small (6), Medium (4), Large (4), XL (8)Large boat tote bags (8) – these are the same mentioned above“Peacock” blue backpack (13)“Red Rock” beach wash shoulder tote (6)Large posters (12)Small posters (7)These are the same items that were available online prior to the festival and were also sold at the festival. Pickup at Sheepman Supply in Frederick, MD is available. Put “Store Pick Up” in special instructions when you check out and you won’t be charged the shipping. Thank you for your patience while we worked out these details.#mdsw #mdsw2023 #celebrating50years #festivalgear ... See MoreSee Less
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