Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Sheep shape up the valley

11th annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival draws record crowds

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By JENNIFER TUOHY
Express Staff Writer

The blowhard Boise Highlanders belt out Scottish ditties on their sheep-enhanced bagpipes in honor of the Scottish families who were the first to run sheep in Idaho. Photo by Willy Cook

One of the top 10 fall festivals in the United States, the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, culminated on Sunday in 1,000 sheep sprinting down Ketchum's Main Street.

Universally praised as a resounding success, the festival played out to record crowds, stunning weather and a feeling of fun all around.

A celebration of living history, the festival, now in its 11th year, honored the century-and-a-half-old right of shepherds to trail their flocks through the Wood River Valley with a Sheep Folklife Fair, a parade and innumerable other woolly-related events.

"We had people come in from all over the country for the event," said Carol Waller, executive director of the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau, commenting on the success of this year's event. "It's a great example of the potential of cultural heritage tourism."

The standout success of the weekend was the Sheep Folklife Fair in Hailey. Organizers reported more than 4,000 people attended the celebration of sheep and shepherds, which included sheep shearing, herding demonstrations, traditional dance performances and a hugely popular lamb tasting featuring delectable dishes cooked up by local restaurants.

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The main event on Sunday, the trailing of the sheep, also pulled in a record crowd. Locals and visitors alike enjoyed the gloriously warm weather as they watched folk dancers, bagpipers and sheep make their way past art galleries, banks and restaurants on Main Street in Ketchum. All in all, it was a true taste of the West, both past and present.