News

COVID-19 and the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival: Update

Posted: March 10, 2020

Regarding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the 2020 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival: On March 12, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order stating that planned large gatherings and events must be canceled or postponed until after termination of the state of emergency and the proclamation of the catastrophic health emergency has been rescinded. We do not know how long this period will be. No decision regarding the cancellation of the Festival has been made at this time. We will reassess the situation and provide an update on or about April 1.

Order your 2021 catalog now

Posted: January 7, 2016

We found out last year that even though the in-person festival was cancelled, people still wanted a catalog as a souvenir. So while the 2021 Festival will once again be virtual, we have decided to continue our 48-year tradition of publishing a printed catalog. This year’s catalog will contain new artwork and will serve as a guide to our virtual event.

This year, we are accepting online orders for the 2021 catalog by means of a “Buy Now” button on our catalog ordering page. We estimate that the first shipment of catalogs will be done around the third week in March. Subsequent mailings will be done once or twice a week.

Online Registration for Fiber Arts Seminars and Family Activities

Posted: February 11, 2017

Online registration for Fiber Arts Seminars and Family Activities opened on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 2:00 pm EST.

Again this year, in the interest of allowing as many people as possible access to classes, you will be limited to one ticket per class in the Fiber Arts Seminars.

Reminder: Registrations will be processed on a first come, first served basis, until classes are filled. Registration will remain open until the night before the class is scheduled, or the class is filled, whichever comes first.

We are using Eventbrite as our online registration mechanism again this year. You can access our Eventbrite online registration page at https://mswf2020.eventbrite.com.

Helpful Hints:

Click on the green “Tickets” button and scroll down through the list to select the class(es) you want. You may want to check in advance and make sure there aren’t any browser issues that prevent you from seeing the button and accessing the list.
Eventbrite has a 15 minute time limit to complete your order, so you might want to read through the class descriptions here on the website first and figure out what you want to take before heading over to Eventbrite.
To save time at checkout, set up an Eventbrite profile in advance so that information on your checkout page can be pre-filled. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/ and click on “Sign Up”. If you did this last year, you do not need to do it again — just make sure you know your password!
If you have not completed your registration at the end of 15 minutes, the reservation they are holding will be released for others to purchase.
Because catalogs are mailed, and can be sent to someone other than yourself, we have to collect both a billing address and a shipping address. Unfortunately, this also applies to all items purchased, including classes. If you are purchasing tickets for multiple classes, please make note of the handy “Copy data from” drop-down on the second and all subsequent tickets which will allow you to quickly copy the shipping address from the first ticket without having to retype it each time.

Cover Art Competition Remains On Hiatus

Posted: June 27, 2019

We are planning to commission a work again this year so the cover art competition will remain on hiatus for 2020.

Fun Facts About 2019

Posted: June 4, 2019

We estimate weekend attendance between 15,300-18,500 people.
Attendance on Saturday was almost exactly the same as last year.
Rain on Sunday (including a flash flood watch) definitely kept some folks home.
There were 631 sheep entered in the sheep shows with 55 more sheep in the Breed Display barn.
The Fleece Show & Sale had 911 fleeces entered by 173 exhibitors from 17 states, representing 36 different breeds of sheep. About 46-47,000 pounds of wool changed hands in the sale, with 343 buyers from 31 states + Canada taking home fleeces.
The Skein & Garment Competition had 278 entries in the form of yarn and finished articles from 106 different exhibitors.
Almost 800 students participated in our Fiber Arts Workshops.

Thank you for helping make 2019 great!

Posted: May 15, 2017

We hope you enjoyed the 2019 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, our 46^th annual celebration of sheep and wool and the many related activities that they inspire and enable. We could not have done without all the shepherds, vendors, fiber artists, sheep and wool equipment crafters, festival visitors and most importantly committee members and volunteers that make up this awesome community; we tip our hats to you all!

Be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s Festival on May 2 & 3!

In Peace,

Gwen Handler, Chairman, Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

Lee Langstaff, President, Maryland Sheep Breeders Association

Volunteers needed!

Posted: April 16, 2015

The Festival would not be possible without the support of hundreds of community volunteers, and we still have many slots to be filled! Visit one of our SignUpGenius pages to sign up today!

General Volunteers (lots of slots open for recycling volunteers!)

T-Shirt Building Volunteers (critically needed for Saturday and Sunday afternoon!)

Volunteers for Saturday Dinner/Sunday Breakfast (includes free meal!)

Everyone who volunteers gets a volunteer shirt, a unique souvenir which is NOT available to the general public!

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

Purchase tickets, order a catalog or register for Fiber Arts Workshops

Posted: February 10, 2019

We are open for business! You can now access our Eventbrite online registration page at https://mswf2019.eventbrite.com to take care of the following:

Purchase Festival tickets
Order a 2019 catalog. Order now so it can be included in the first mailing in mid-March!
Register for Fiber Arts Workshops and Family Activities

More Information on Fiber Arts Workshops

We are working on adding the 2019 Workshops to the website. In the meantime, they are available in pdf format here.

Again this year, in the interest of allowing as many people as possible access to classes, you will be limited to one ticket per class.

Policy Change: This year, materials fees (if any) will be collected when you register.

Click here for Helpful Hints.

Cover Art Competition On Hiatus

Posted: October 8, 2018

The covert art competition is on hiatus for 2019. Watch for an announcement about a special work we are commissioning!

Maryland Shepherds Cup

Posted: February 13, 2018

The purpose of this award is to recognize consistent excellence in the production of handspinning fleeces by wool producers in Maryland. The winner will be judged to have entered the best set of five handspinning fleeces from an individual Maryland shepherd. The Maryland Shepherds Cup is offered in remembrance of Mary Ann Jackson, shepherd at Spinning Flock Farm. Mary Ann was a long-time supporter and active member of the Festival Committee and MSBA. As well as being named 2006 Maryland Shepherd of the Year with her husband Ed, MaryAnn initiated the fiber arts and shepherd workshops at the Festival, taught innumerable beginning spinners and weavers, and was a tireless supporter of textile arts.

The award will include a perpetual trophy inscribed with the name of each year’s winner plus a $100 prize.

Guidelines for Entering

Maryland shepherds will designate five handspinning fleeces that best represent their flock and breeding program goals. The fleeces must be from sheep belonging to the shepherd entering them and the farm must be in Maryland.
All five fleeces must also be individually entered in the appropriate Division and Class for Show and Sale.
Check appropriate box on entry form to be included in MD Shepherd’s Cup competition.
The Entry must be accompanied by a brief paragraph (no more than 80 words) describing the goals of the shepherd/producer that are represented by their five selected fleeces. This is to acknowledge that different shepherds may have different goals. Examples might include: Perfectly matched fleeces (in color, character, quality); specific breed character; natural colors; or variety of fleece types, etc.
Only one entry (of 5 fleeces) for the Shepherds Cup per individual shepherd’s flock.