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Sheep Shearing & Island Farms Opening Day 2024
March 23 @ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$10
Spring has Sprung, and it’s time to shear the sheep! On Saturday, March 23, Island Farm will host its annual sheep shearing day, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Admission is $10, and children 3 and under are admitted for free. This event will also mark the start of the Island Farm’s 2024 season.
During this event, Island Farm’s resident sheep will be hand-shorn, just as they would have been in the mid-19th century on Roanoke Island. Shearing will take place in front of visitors, so they can witness the process up-close. This year Island Farm is thrilled to host national sheep-shearing champion shearer, Kevin Ford. Mr. 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 he’s been shearing ever since.
Other activities include butter making, blacksmithing, hearth cooking, wagon rides, wool bracelet crafts, and washing, drying, spinning, carding, and weaving wool into useful items!
Island Farm offers a glimpse into coastal history, and the realities of life on Roanoke Island in the mid-1800’s.