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Spring is on the way, and it’s time to shear the sheep!

On Saturday, March 23, 2024 Island Farm will hold its annual sheep shearing day from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Admission is $10; children 3 and under are admitted for free. This event will also mark the start of the farm’s 2024 season.

During the event, Island Farm’s resident sheep will be hand-shorn, just as they would have been in the mid-19^th century on Roanoke Island. Shearing will take place in front of visitors so they can witness the process up-close. This year Island Farm will host national sheep-shearing champion shearer Kevin Ford.

Ford hails from Massachusetts and shears over 4,000 sheep and goats per year, all by hand. He learned blade shearing in the 1970s through hands-on study in Ireland and New Zealand and been shearing ever since.

Other activities at the event will include butter making, blacksmithing with the Manteo Blacksmith, hearth cooking, wagon rides, wool bracelet crafts, plus wool washing, carding, dyeing, spinning and weaving demonstrations by local fiber artists.

A living history farmstead, Island Farm is a tangible glimpse into coastal history, and the realities of life on Roanoke Island in the mid-1800s. The site is located at 1140 N US Highway 64, north of Manteo on Roanoke Island.

For more information, visit www.obcinc.org/island-farm/, email info@obcinc.org or call 252-473-6500.

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