The Wood River Valley will celebrate the 11th annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival from Friday, Oct. 12, through Sunday, Oct. 14, recognizing Peruvian culture and its contribution to the sheep herding tradition.
The festival will feature traditional Peruvian dance, music, and food throughout the weekend with performances, demonstrations and displays. The festival will begin on Friday, Oct. 12, at the nexStage Theatre in Ketchum with "Sheep Tales Gathering: Living Our Parent's Dream" presented by Tony Yiaopas, the former advisor to the governor of Utah on Hispanic Affairs, professor Armando Solzano and a collection of Peruvian sheepherders. The storytelling begins at 7:30 p.m. and is a free event with donations accepted at the door.
On Friday, Oct. 12, a workshop, "Cooking with Lamb," at CKs restaurant in Hailey will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The workshop is limited to 20 people and costs $45. For more details, call the College of Southern Idaho at (208) 788-2033. In addition, there will be "Dutch Oven Sheepherder Breadmaking" at Irving's Hill on Main and Fourth Streets in Ketchum from 3 to 5 p.m. with donations accepted.
The Sheep Folklife Fair on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Roberta McKercher Park in Hailey will feature Peruvian sheep herders and their history in the west through dance performances, music, food and demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be tastings and talks by regional chefs and sheep ranching families from 12 to 3 p.m.
In addition the festival will feature the Oinkari Basque dances as well as the Chicago Polish Highlanders musicians and dancers and the bagpipes and drummers of the Boise Highlanders. There will be a special performance of the Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance Folklorica at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, at the nexStage Theatre in Ketchum. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the performance begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 at door.
The highlight of the festival will occur on Sunday, Oct. 14, at noon with the traditional "Trailing of the Sheep Parade," which will take place on Main Street in Ketchum. The parade will include Latino X, Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance, Chaskis, Oinkari Basque dancers, Polish Highlanders, the Boise Highlanders and sheep wagons.
Ketchum-area historian Ivan Swaner will present the "History of Sheepherding in the Wood River Valley" at Starbucks on Sunday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon before the parade. There will be a sheep shuttle at Ketchum's Forest Service Park at 1:50 p.m. to the Sheepherder Walk north of Ketchum with third generation sheep rancher John Peavey who will discuss the history and traditions of sheep ranching life. From 2 to 3:30 p.m. there will be the "Sheepherder Walk" a guided walk through aspen groves north of Ketchum.
Ongoing throughout the weekend will be a Plein Air Exhibit at The Center in Hailey, an exhibition by Jeronimo Lazano Retablo as well as dine around lamb specials at participating restaurants throughout the valley.
The weekend will include historical exhibits with The Western Folklife Center at Sheep Folklife Fair on Saturday and the Sun Valley-Ketchum Ski & Heritage Museum on First and Washington streets in Ketchum featuring the History of American Sheep Ranching. Jack Lane's Merc at Main Street and Sun Valley Road (Starbucks), the Blaine County Museum on Main Street in Hailey, the Community Library at 415 Spruce Ave. in Ketchum and the Hailey Public Library on Main and Croy Streets in Hailey will also feature historical exhibits and discussions on sheep herding.
For more information on times, locations and events visit trailingofthesheep.org or call (866) 379-2936.
The highlight of the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival includes a Sunday, Oct. 14, afternoon parade in which Peruvian dancers will be featured. Also as part of the parade, bands of sheep will be trailed down Main Street in Ketchum.
