Photos by Willy Cook
Wild and woolly parade
Trailing of the Sheep draws record crowd
By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer
Sheep-heads
lined Main Street in Ketchum on Sunday afternoon to watch the fourth annual Trailing of
the Sheep. The parade and associated festival drew a record crowd of 4,000 people for the
weekend’s events, according to the Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber of Commerce.
A group of Basque Dancers from Boise, representing the Basque
people’s history as sheep ranchers, danced down the street to start the parade. The
Highlander Bagpipers, also from Boise, followed.
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, looking dapper in his cowboy hat and boots, walked
down Main Street, to lead off the sheep portion of the parade. With him were state Rep.
Wendy Jacquet, D-Ketchum, her husband and Ketchum city administrator Jim Jaquet and event
coordinator Diane Josephy Peavey, who with her husband, John Peavey, owns the Flat Top
Sheep Co.
Kempthorne
was later joined by Jody Faulkner and two of her granddaughters, Michele and Tessa. The
Faulkners, whose sheep were being trailed, have been based in Gooding since 1933. They are
one of four families who still move their sheep regularly through the valley every year.
At last the herd of sheep, numbering approximately 1,600, paraded down
Main Street, but not without some hesitation.
Apparently, the herd will not move without their bell-laden leader in
front. Since the leader was elsewhere in the pack, the herd just keep turning around to
head back --not helping were the many brightly clothed folks teeming Main Street while
snapping photos.
When the
leader was finally found and dragged forward, sheep being what they are, they hurriedly
followed, their small hooves clacking softly as they made their way south. Volunteer
shepherds, including 9-year-old Piper Andrews, wore red bandannas, helped inform people
about the event and kept people from being trampled by the sheep.
"I like parades. It creates excitement," said Terry Ring from
outside his Main Street store, Silver Creek Outfitters. "It’s a lot warmer than
Wagon Days. I just hope no one gets gored."
The Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber of Commerce said at least 20 states and
Canada were represented and one family had come from Wales, England.
Before the start of the parade, Kempthorne met with other local pols in
Starbucks on Main Street for coffee and pastry.
"I’ve
looked forward to this with enthusiasm," he said. "Just walking through town has
been wonderful."
He said he intended to wear the official Trailing of the Sheep sweatshirt,
presented to him by Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber of Commerce director Carol Waller, when he
jogged to the Hemingway memorial Monday morning. The sweatshirt was designed by Peggy
Woods of Northwest Design, said Sally Hanson of the Hailey Chamber of Commerce.
The governor also mused about the sheep herd’s reaction to the large
"Eat Lamb" sign painted on the Lane Mercantile building, in which Starbucks now
resides. He was assured that the sheep would not be able to see the sign.
Also at
Starbucks was Ketchum Mayor Guy Coles, who told this reporter about his family, who were
pioneering sheep ranchers in Idaho. His grandfather, Frank Gooding, for whom the town of
Gooding is named, was Idaho governor and then U.S. senator in the early 1900s. At one time
he was the largest sheep producer in the world, Coles said.
