Idaho’s Trailing of the Sheep
If you love lamb, Road Trips Foodies, here’s a “must” for your travel calendar: the Trailing of the Sheep Festival. It celebrates the 150+ year tradition of moving sheep (‘trailing’) from high mountain summer pastures down through the Valley to traditional winter grazing and lambing areas in the south.
This annual migration is Idaho “living history”, and an extended weekend-long family-friendly festival in the mountain communities of Hailey, Ketchum, and Sun Valley that celebrates the people, arts, cultures and traditions of sheep ranching in Idaho and the West.
Keystone event is “For the Love of Lamb“, beginning at 4:30 p.m. October 12, 2018, in Ketchum, Idaho. Here’s how the organizers describe it: “Experience the best in American Lamb baaa-ites from some of the top restaurants in Ketchum. Tastings start at 4:30 p.m. and will end when all the bites are gone.” Tickets are available online.
Six different cooking with lamb courses are offered October 11, 2018. Two “farm to table” lamb dinners will be held, one October 10 and the other October 11, 2018.
The Lambfest at the Folklife Fair takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. October 13, 2018, in Roberta McKercher Park, Hailey, Idaho.
A parade picnic will be staged on the Town Square of Ketcham, Idaho, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 1,500 sheep participate in the parade at noon down Main Street.
In addition, restaurants throughout the region will offer Lamb Specials during the festival.
There are all sorts of other activities in multiple venues, including these:
* Wool Fest with classes and workshops
* Sheep Tales Gathering, Hikes and Histories featuring Idaho’s sheep ranchers and renowned storytellers
* Sheep Folklife Fair featuring the Basque, Scottish, Polish & Peruvian dancers and musicians, sheep shearing, folk, fiber and traditional artists, children’s activities and more
* Sheep Jam party with food and live music by The Dusty 45s
* Two-and-a-half days of Championship Sheepdog Trials with 70 border collies
Check out this video of last year’s event:
(Photo and video courtesy of Trailing of the Sheep)
