Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival May 7-8
Parade of breeds, cook-offs, shearing, fleeces, wool, spinning. Ever dream of becoming a shepherd? Sign up for a basic shepherding workshop. Festival attendence is free, but there are some wonderful things for sale. Please do not bring any pets.
For all you fans of The Sheep-pig, AKA Babe, the working sheepdogs exhibitions can be seen in the field area at 11, 1 and 3 both Saturday and Sunday.
Have you seen the 1995 movie Babe? It is based on a terrific book - J FIC KING Babe : the gallant pig written by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Mary Rayner. Originally published in Great Britain under the title The sheep-pig. We also have an unabidged version on tape: J AC200 The sheep-pig. Other great pigs in literature include the radiant, humble Wilbur of Charlotte's Web (E.B. White), though the sheep only have bit parts in that one.
To get to Sheep and Wool: Go up Georgia Avenue (97) for twenty-some miles until you get to the light at Cooksville. (A scant fraction of a mile before the I70 entrances.) Take a right and the festival is just a couple of miles down that road with the entrance on the left. This is a lovely trip once you get past Olney. You will go through Brookville, where Dolley Madison, her wagon load of stuff, her husband and his cabinet all stayed when the British burned Washington, August 1812. ... and you will be going up the road which was the route JEB Stuart's cavalry took to Gettysburg, late June 1863. You can read much controversy about his choice. At Brookville his cavalry released wagon trains captured at Rockville, and at Cooksville they took a couple of days bashing up the BO railroad .....
During the unlovely first few miles of trip you will be going up the route of Jubal Early's raid on Washington. Check our Maryland history collection.
Posted by library at May 1, 2005 03:27 PM