TIME FOR A CLIP — The 18th Annual Denmark Sheepfest will be held on Saturday, April 21 at the Denmark Arts Center.

DENMARK — Once again, it is time to register your sheep for shearing at the Denmark Sheepfest.

This year marks the 18th anniversary of this special fiber event. It will take place on Saturday, April 21 at the Denmark Arts Center, located at 50 West Main Street in Denmark. Hours for the public are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The pens will start filling with sheep around 8 a.m. as small flock owners in the area gather for the yearly ritual of sheep shearing. The old hall will be bustling, too, as vendors from near and far set up their displays of homegrown wool, handspun yarns, handmade gifts, and fiber tools. There will also be alpacas and angora rabbits to see.

The event began as a service to small flock owners, but has grown in its 18 years to become a notable fiber fair and an excellent cure for “cabin fever.” Suitable for all ages, Sheepfest offers people a chance to meet sheep up close and personally, to learn about what happens to the wool after it comes off an animal, to learn about age-old crafts still practiced, and to take part in fiber arts themselves. In the true spirit of the colonial barn-raisings and quilting bees, the Sheepfest offers people a chance to gather and talk, to learn and to help each other, to enjoy good company while the needed work gets done.

There will be a pen for each group of sheep. Each sheep will take its turn under the shears of Shearer Jeff Jordan. The fleece will be skirted by a team of handlers, be rolled, bagged and weighed so it is ready for processing. Hooves will be clipped and each sheep will go home ready for a summer of growing more fleece.

The charge for this service is $12 per sheep. If you wish to have your animal(s) sheared, you must register them before the event. To register, please call 452-2687 or e-mail linda@pinestarstudio.com

For more information about the event, go to www.denmarksheepfest.com