Welcome to the

11th Annual Northern Michigan Lamb & Wool Festival

September 24 - 26, 2010

Ogemaw County Fairgrounds, Michigan

With apologies to Suzanne Pufpaff, her class was accidently left off of the website's class registration form. The error has been corrected, and we encourage anyone interested in that class to register for it. No late fee need be included because of this mistake.

All classes are still open! If you want to sign up for something at the festival, please plan to arrive by about 8:15 am to pay for morning classes. You can register for a Sunday class any time Saturday. For afternoon classes, try to register by 12 noon.

Join us for cake at noon both Saturday and Sunday in Hospitality to celebrate our 10th Annual Festival!

All vendor spaces are filled! You may be added to a waiting list if desired. Please contact Vendor Chair Jeanie Prentice for more information.

We now have our Skein Competition's rules, entry form, and judge's scorecard online. Please spin one or more skeins to enter this Free contest! Your yarn will be judged by its intended use, not against other skeins, and you will learn how to improve your spinning for the purpose you plan.

Hospitality will be hosting a birthday party at noon each day - come have free cake and enjoy the festive decorations! Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate will also be available there all day Saturday and Sunday. Also, Jeanie Prentice, whose idea to have a festival at the Ogemaw County Fairgrounds became a reality with the help of many, has a letter of thanks to all who have made this event possible.

We're adding some new activities in Hospitality: A skein competition, 2 pm Sunday, in which your skein competes against its intended purpose, not against other skeins. There will be prizes in several categories, and the judge will provide feedback on each skein.

Also new this year is our Kids' Hands-On Fiber Demo, an area with fiber dyed with Kool-Aide, a small loom, a spinning wheel, and drop spinning demos. Open from 10 am to 3 pm both days, it's not designed to be a drop-off babysitting point, but a place for kids to learn why Mom or Dad has dragged them to this festival.

A hooked rug of our festival logo, designed and executed by Julie Hurd in handspun, naturally-dyed wools photo by Julie Hurd

Our class schedule is complete, and you can click on each class in the class schedule and go directly to teacher bios and class descriptions. Our vendors are signing up (and filling the vendor halls fast - be sure to get your application in and paid for soon!); and we're putting together some plans to make our 10th annual festival a really special one.

Be sure to let us know if you'd be interested in joining our family as a volunteer to help before, during, or after the festival. Many hands make light work!

Speaking of volunteers, we hope you enjoy the many wonderful pictures of our 2008 festival, taken by roving photographer Teri Dougherty. She has captured the essence of our festival - fun, fiber, and friends!

If you are not yet on our mailing list (did you get a newsletter in January? If not, let us know!), contact Julie Hurd. On the other hand, if you are quite happy to check this website instead of getting a booklet, let Julie know that, too. We welcome the chance to save a little on printing and postage, in order to bring you more attractions at the festival.

Our Promotions Chairs have brought us some new, unisex items with our high-quality, embroidered logo: A ball cap and a denim apron. The apron is 100% cotton, machine washable, and can also be embroidered with your name. Member price: $22; Non-Member price: $25. Embroidery: $4.

Denim Apron

Green and tan ballcap with embroidered logo

Here's the ball cap. It has a cloth strap in back to adjust to your size, and is 100% cotton. Cap pricing: Member, $15; Non-member: $18 And if you send in your Membership Form and payment, you'll get the member price on both items. Vendors: You're automatically members with your 2009 booth fee!

We still offer last year's tote, and we have some t-shirts left from previous years as well. Print our order form to place your order to be mailed to you or delivered at the festival.

Important note: No pets except working aid dogs allowed on the fairgrounds. We have sheep, rabbits, and other fiber animals in the buildings and on the grounds. Please help keep them safe and calm.

A display of wonderful yarns, fibers, and finished goods to buy
photo by T. Dougherty

This website is copyright 2006 by the
Northern Michigan Lamb & Wool Festival,
all rights reserved.
Last updated December, 2009.
Please contact Holly Shaltz, 231 582 3206, holly@shaltzfarm.com,
if you have any questions or comments concerning the website.