Friday, October 10

Cooking With Lamb
CK's Real Food Restaurant, Corner of Pine and Main in Hailey, 1 - 2:30pm.
Prominent local restaurateurs Chris and Rebecca Kastner of CK's Real Food Restaurant will demonstrate how to make innovative lamb dishes that epitomize regional northwest cuisine. Chris's cooking honors local foods and reflects thoughtful, innovative preparation. Not only will you get some cooking ideas to try in your own kitchen, but you will get to enjoy sampling the sumptuous dishes and sipping wine. This class is a wonderful way to celebrate the harvest season and the Trailing of the Sheep in the Wood River Valley. Advance reservations and $50 fee required at College of Southern Idaho, 208.788.2033. Section code: XHEC 010 B01.

The Basque Community in Idaho, Discussion
Hailey Public Library, Main Street, Hailey 3pm.
John Bieter, author of An Enduring Legacy: A History of the Basque in Idaho, will lead a discussion of the Basque community in Idaho. Bieter is also the Director of the Center for Basque Studies at Boise State University. Open to the public. No charge.

Knit a Stitch, Spin a Yarn
Sun Valley/Ketchum Ski & Heritage Museum, 180 E. 1st St., Ketchum 1-4pm.
Drop in with your knitting, spinning, crocheting, embroidery, or quilting and join Tamara Kubacki of the Western Folklife Center in the knitting circle. When knitters and other fiber artists get together, the stories start flying! The Western Folklife Center will record stories about the role wool plays in your art, handiwork, and life. No charge.

Friday Night Concert
at nexStage Theatre, 120 S. Main Street, Ketchum, 7:00pm, Doors open at 6:00pm.
Sheep Tales Gathering: Songs and Stories of Sheep Herding "Remembering when..."
Join Western Folklife Center's Hal Cannon,our guest host, for an evening of music, poetry, and storytelling featuring Idaho's singer/songwriter and Grammy-winner Rosalie Sorrels. Also performing are: Navajo storyteller and weaver Roy Kady; Irish musician and storyteller Mick Lucey on the button accordion; and Wyoming poet and rancher Sharon O’Toole. The Community Library's regional history collection of old photographs will also be displayed. See our Presenters/Performers Bios section for more on these great performers.

Tickets: $20 for Friday or Saturday nights individually, or $35 in advance for both Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets may be purchased at the following locations:
D.L. Evans Bank, 12 E. Bullion St., Hailey, Hours 9:30-5 M-Th, 9:30-6 Fri.
Ketchum-Sun Valley Heritage & Ski Museum, 180 E. 1st St., Ketchum, Hours 1-5 M-F.
Iconoclast Books, 671 Sun Valley Rd., Ketchum, Hours 9am-9pm.
Tickets purchased in advance will be available for pick up at will-call by 6pm Friday night. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of each event.

Saturday, October 11

Trailing of the Sheep Dog Trials: New for 2008!
Quigley Canyon Field, Access off Fox Acres Rd., Hailey (Behind Wood River High School), 7am to Dusk Saturday and Sunday.
Organized by the International Dog Handlers and Stock Dog Association, this two-day trial is sanctioned by the U.S. Border Collie Handlers Association and will offer $3,000 in prize money as well as USBCHA points towards qualifying for the 2009 National Finals. The trial will feature over 50 of the West Coast’s most talented handlers and border collies. Look for teams traveling from Utah, Idaho, Montana, California, Oregon, Washington, and Canada. Nominal entrance fee of $2 per person; children under 5 free. Bring lawn chairs; no coolers please.

Workshop: Gathering Your Stories, Preserving a Legacy: Oral History Workshop with Hal Cannon
"The Center" in Hailey, Corner of 2nd and Pine, Hailey, 9am – 10:30am.
Renowned western folklorist Hal Cannon will lead a workshop on how to preserve aspects of a legacy – from how to conduct good interviews to how to document stories and other folk materials. Hal will be joined by two staff members from the Western Folklife Center, Meg Glaser and Christina Barr. Each workshop participant should bring a single and specific aspect of a legacy that needs to be documented and preserved – such as a grandmother's recipes or an uncle's stories or the process for making something by hand. Advance reservations and $30 tuition required at College of Southern Idaho, 208.788.2033.

Trailing of the Sheep Art Exhibit "Meet the Artists Coffee"
The Grange at Sweetwater Village, access from Countryside Blvd. off Hwy 75 (across from airport), Hailey, 9am - 10:00am.
Reception for the artists of this fascinating exhibit featuring Western landscapes and sheep trailing and ranching cultures. No charge. Art may be purchased. Exhibit on display October 10th -20th.

Sheep Folklife Fair
Hailey Community Campus (Old WR High School), 1050 Fox Acres Rd., Hailey, 10am - 4pm.
This popular Sheep Folklife Fair provides demonstrations of sheep shearing and sheep herding with stock dogs, displays of sheep wagons, crafts for children, spinning and weaving demonstrations by Navajo Dine weavers and local artisans, and a traditional Basque Lamb Dinner. The Fair includes performances by Peruvian Musicians and Dancers, Oinkari Basque Dancers, Boise Highlanders Scottish bagpipers, drummers and dancers, the Polish Highlanders folk musicians and dancers, and the Boise Irish Dancers. Other attractions include vendors of various cultures selling their unique crafts and art, lamb tastings, and a 4H fashion show, Make it with Wool. No charge (except food). Schedule of Folklife Fair events.

St. Charles Traditional Basque Lamb Dinner
served from 11:30 am to fair closing. This will be the 51st year of this Folklife Fair tradition!

Lamb Tastings at Folklife Fair
Hailey Community Campus, 1050 Fox Acres Rd., Hailey, 12pm -3pm. Four top chefs will prepare and discuss recipes for selected lamb dishes from lamb ribs, legs, and ground meat to Dutch oven stews. At their side, members of the four ranch families who provided the lamb for tasting will tell stories of their respective sheep operations from which this local food comes, its headquarters, grazing landscapes, marketing practices, and stories from the generations of ranch families that make up its history. Lamb Tasting details.

Saturday Night Concert
nexStage Theatre, 120 S. Main Street, Ketchum, at 7:00pm, Doors open at 6:00pm.
Saturday night's concert "Our Story Continues," features popular recording artist Brenn Hill, described as the "New Voice of the West." He will be joined by contemporary storytellers Linda and Carolyn Dufurrena, Francisco Colqui, and others as they reflect on our contemporary landscape and sheep ranching in the West. See our Presenters/Performers Bios section for more on these great performers.

Tickets: $20 for Friday or Saturday nights individually, or $35 in advance for both Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets may be purchased at the following locations:
D.L. Evans Bank, 12 E. Bullion St., Hailey, Hours 9:30-5 M-Th, 9:30-6 Fri.
Ketchum-Sun Valley Heritage & Ski Museum, 180 E. 1st St., Ketchum, Hours 1-5 M-F.
Iconoclast Books, 671 Sun Valley Rd., Ketchum, Hours 9am-9pm.
Tickets purchased in advance will be available for pick up at will-call by 6pm Friday night. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of each event.

Sunday, October 12

Trailing of the Sheep Dog Trials: New for 2008
Quigley Canyon Field, Access off Fox Acres Rd., Hailey (Behind Wood River High School), 7am to Dusk Saturday and Sunday.
The Trailing of the Sheep Dog Trial continues throughout the day on Sunday. Nominal entrance fee of $2 per person; children under 5 free. See Saturday listing above for complete description.

History of Sheepherding in the Wood River Valley
Lane Mercantile (Starbucks), Main Street and Sun Valley Road, Ketchum 10am - noon.
Local historian Ivan Swaner will be on hand to tell stories of the Wood River Valley and the Lane Merc, a gathering place for sheepmen over the years. No charge.

Trailing of the Sheep Parade
Main Street, Ketchum, Noon.
The Main Event. (NO DOGS PLEASE) Join an authentic trailing of the sheep down Ketchum's Main Street as part of their annual migration to winter pastures. The Henslee Salmon Falls Sheep will be led by Henslee family members, herders, and other sheep ranching friends. The parade includes historic sheep wagons and participants from the Folklife Fair, each identified by sign-bearing dancers from the Footlight Dance Centre. After the parade passes, you are invited to walk with the families herding the animals to their resting place several miles south of town. See our Parade section for a detailed list of parade participants.

Trailing the Year: The Human Landscape of Sheep Ranching in the American West
Sun Valley/Ketchum Ski & Heritage Museum, 180 E. 1st St., Ketchum, Immediately following parade.
Exhibit curators will discuss the enhanced exhibition at a coffee reception.

After the Parade

Sheep Shuttle
Forest Service Park, Washington and 1st Streets, Ketchum, 1:50pm.
Ride the Sheep Shuttle to the Sheepherder Walk north of Ketchum. Third-generation sheep rancher John Peavey will answer questions and discuss the history and practices of sheep ranching in the Wood River Valley. Donations accepted for bus service.

Sheepherder Walk
Neal Canyon at the end of Eagle Creek Road, 6.3 miles North of Ketchum, 2:15 - 3pm.
The Sheepherder Walk is a guided tour with John Peavey and local historian Ivan Swaner through aspen groves filled with sheepherder carvings on trees. The names and drawings are a record of the men and women who camped in the area with their sheep and walked the trails over the years. No charge.

Ongoing Events and Historical Exhibits

Lamb Dine-Around
Many Valley restaurants join festival activities serving an array of American lamb specials throughout the weekend. Plan early and make reservations to dine before or after the evening Sheep Tales Gatherings. List of participating restaurants and their specialties.

Trailing of the Sheep Art Exhibit
The Grange at Sweetwater Village, access from Countryside Blvd. off Hwy 75 (across from airport), Hailey, Oct. 10th-20th, M-F 9am-6pm, Sat/Sun 11am-6pm.
Fascinating exhibit by over 28 professional artists featuring Western life and sheep trailing cultures. Exhibit on display October 10th -20th. No charge. Art available for purchase.

Western Folklife: History of American Sheep Ranching
Ketchum-Sun Valley Heritage & Ski Museum, Thursday-Sunday; also on display at the Folklife Fair on Saturday.
In this exhibit the Western Folklife Center presents stories, images, and expressive material culture reflecting the perspectives, hopes, and challenges of contemporary sheep ranchers. Sheep ranching in the West is continually changing as it adapts to globalization demands and environmental pressures. This exhibit provides a multimedia snapshot of this once prominent, but now threatened, lifestyle. www.westernfolklife.org

Lane Merc
Main Street and Sun Valley Road (Starbucks)
Visit the re-creation of Lane Mercantile, the historic site of the sheepmen's gathering place for years. On Sunday at 10am local historian Ivan Swaner will be on hand to talk about valley history and provide information before the parade. No charge.

Blaine County Historical Museum
Main Street, Hailey, Friday and Saturday, 11am - 5pm, Sunday, 1 - 5pm

Ketchum-Sun Valley Heritage & Ski Museum
hosts a Traveling Sheepherder Display from the Western Folklife Center of Elko, NV.
Ketchum Forest Service Park, 1st & Washington: Thursday, October 9 – Saturday October 11, 1pm-4pm; Sunday, October 12, 1pm-3pm.

Community Library
415 Spruce Avenue, Ketchum, Friday, 1 - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 6pm

Hailey Public Library
Main Street and Croy, Hailey, Friday and Saturday 10am - 6pm

2008 Brochure, download as a pdf, click here.

(The Dutch Oven Sheepherder Bread-Making demonstration that was previously on the schedule for Friday afternoon will not be held.)