Get Your Travel On
by Cathy Koos
If you are like me, I am always up for an adventure and these past couple of years of pandemic travel restrictions leave me champing at the bit and ready for a road trip. Fiber Festivals can be a great destination for a socially distanced outdoor event, especially if you can drive yourself.
My personal cut-off for driving trips is two- or three-day drives – about 800 to 1200 miles. I have a camper, so I bring my own accommodation and restaurant. Granted, right now fuel prices are out of control, but when I factor in that I have not traveled at all for almost three years, it is a little more palatable.
As always, in these pandemic times, check websites or call for schedule changes.
Traveling Afield
Flying will get your further, faster, depending on your health risks and Covid restrictions. You will need to hop on a plane quickly if you want to attend the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, as it is running this year May 5 – 7. With 250 vendors, forty workshops, and over 600 sheep, this festival is well worth the travel. https://sheepandwool.org/
Pennsylvania has several fiber festivals coming up in May and June: Central Pennsylvania Fiber Fest on May 14 – 15 https://centralpennfiberfest.com/ ; Waynesburg offers demos, a breed pavilion and taste testing on May 21 https://waynesburgpa.org/waynesburg-sheep-fiber-festival/ ; and Clarion County’s Herb and Fiber Festival and Lancaster County’s both on June 4.
San Antonio’s Texas Folklife Festival is postponed again this year, so plan ahead to 2023 for this celebration of folk life and culture.
In the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, the tiny town of Sparta hosts the Blue Ridge Fiber Festival June 4-5, 2022. Bringing together local fiber producers and a plethora of workshops, the festival also hosts a stitch-along. https://www.blueridgefiberfest.com/festival-information
Closer to Home
Copper K
Back to that one- or two-day drive for those unable to fly, Estes Park Wool Market, hosted by Long Thread Media, offers demos, workshops, loads of animals, and a Sheep to Shawl contest; June 9 – 12. https://www.estesparkeventscomplex.com/wool-market.html
The Copper K Fiber Festival July 16 – 17 in Whitehall, Montana, offers a cozy destination in the historic Copper K Barn. Workshops and local fiber vendors. Nestled in a scenic valley, you can camp onsite or stay locally at VRBO’s and hotels. https://www.copperkfiberfestival.com/
Heading to the coast? Then the Mendocino Wool Festival in Boonville on September 22 should be on your calendar. In addition to a great workshop and vendor line up, take advantage of Boonville’s famous pies or learn the secret locals’ language.
https://mendocountyfair.com/contact-us/