In exactly five days I will be taking three Shetland weanlings to a local Celtic Festival in a nearby town. I have no idea what is involved in this as I've never been to one. I can, of course, get a general idea from the website, but still am very unsure what it will be like. The three lambs that will be going are Tabitha's moorit ewe, Ringo (of course) the grey/white flecket wether & Shane the black wether. Their job will be to look incredibly cute and (hopefully) enjoy letting people pet them. Unless they are overwhelmed by the activity I think they will like the attention.
I've never taken any of my animals to shows or any other kind of event like this, so if you all have any helpful hints I would appreciate it! They will be inside cattle/hog panels and I will be with them all the time, supervising their interaction with the public. I will pray for patience with the public, as I won't allow the animals to be 'toys' to the amusement of the people. I will happily let people pet them and enjoy them, but no rowdiness, please!
I was called out of the blue by a lady that is involved with the festival. She had seen my business card that I had posted on a bulletin board at a local feed store. She asked me if I would be interested in bringing some of the sheep as a display of native Scotland livestock. There will also be Highland Cattle and Clydesdales there. I had to think about it awhile and finally decided to go for it.
My friend Allena has agreed to come and help out. She will be demonstrating how to spin with a drop spindle, giving lessons and selling starter kits. I will be bringing Shetland roving and raw fleeces, mostly as an example of what the sheep produce, but on the off chance there will be spinners about as well. I'll also be bringing my display picture board, the Shetland colors poster, business cards and an informational handout on the history of the Shetland breed, oh and of course the sheep! Any ideas on what else I can present to show case the versatility and uniqueness of the Shetlands?
This is an all outdoor event, so if it rains I'm sure it will be cancelled. If it is exceedingly hot, then I'll go, sans sheep and have a display of their pictures and of course fleeces. If you click on the above link to the Celtic Festival and go to the animal page, then scroll down to the second section of Shetland pictures, those are all my flock. I sent some samples for them to use and they pasted them all in there! ha
Anyhoo, ideas, suggestions, thoughts would be appreciated. Short of wearing a kilt and knee socks, I am willing and eager to represent the breed to the public and spread the word about these wonderful little sheep!
2 comments:
Good for you for going, and I can't wait to hear how it goes! I'm a tad nervous about taking my sheep to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, not because I'm worried about how they will place but about what they might be exposed to. The recent thread on the Shetland list about testing for diseases hasn't helped. :-(
Tammy,
I just emailed you about this lol.
I forgot to say, you need a certificate of health for the sheep you're bringing, but you probably know that already.
Should we contact them about our demonstrations so that they can post the times?
Also, will we be going on Sunday too? I didn't realize it was a two day thing. Usually I don't go on Sundays, but I am recognizing that so many are on Sundays, that perhaps it's a necessity.
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