Sheep Shearing Festival at the Canada Agriculture Museum

For immediate release
May 17, 2010

Ottawa—From May 22 to 24, the Canada Agriculture Museum is holding its annual Sheep Shearing Festival! Highlights include shearing demonstrations, finger-weaving, Border Collies at work, alpacas on display and much, much more.

An expert shearer will give sheep shearing demonstrations several times daily, while Border Collies from the Ottawa Valley Border Collie Club will take part in agility competitions. Visitors can try knitting with the advice of experts from The Knitting Guild of Ottawa, and children can get creative making a fun sheep-themed craft. Visitors of all ages will also have an opportunity to help Little Bo Peep find her sheep, and families will enjoy the Museum’s spacious grounds and outdoor amenities.

Demonstrations:

Sheep Shearing

(10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 3:30 and 4:00)

With summer fast approaching, it’s time to shear the sheep’s winter wool coats. Visitors can watch a professional sheep shearer at work as a Museum interpreter describes the procedure.

Sheep Herding with Sheepdogs

(11:00, 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00)

In this demonstration, visitors will see a shepherd and his dogs working together to herd a flock of sheep.

Sheepdog Agility

(10:30, 12:00 and 2:30)

Visitors will be enthralled by the agility of Border Collies as they race through an obstacle course.

Ongoing Activities:

Knitting

Visitors can try their hands at knitting with the advice of experts from The Knitting Guild of Ottawa.

Finger-Weaving

Visitors will enjoy watching a craftsman doing some finger-weaving: a traditional craft that is used to make all sorts of products, including the famous arrow sash!

Wool Carding

At this station, visitors can learn about an important step in the transformation of wool, and try it for themselves with a pair of carding combs.

Meet the Alpacas

Visitors can see alpacas up close and learn all about them from a Museum interpreter.

Animal or Plant Quiz

At this activity station, visitors can spin a wheel to test their knowledge about fibres from various sources.

Felt Making

Visitors can make felt from sheep’s wool while discovering the history of the world’s oldest fabric.

The Canada Agriculture Museum is a national institution, one of three museums within the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation in Ottawa. The Museum is a unique facility combining a demonstration farm located in the heart of the nation’s capital with the highest calibre of exhibitions and interpretation. The Museum’s facilities are located on the Central Experimental Farm: a national historic site which continues to carry out agricultural research and policy under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Corporation and its three Museums—the Canada Agriculture Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum—tell the stories of Canadian ingenuity and achievement in science and technology, and demonstrate how these accomplishments have contributed to the building of our country.

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The Canada Agriculture Museum is located on the Central Experimental Farm, Prince of Wales Drive, between the traffic circle and Baseline Road.

Free parking.

Admission is $7 for adults; $4 for children (ages 3–14); $6 for students and seniors; $16 for families (2 adults and 3 children); children under 3 are free.

For more information, please visit agriculture.technomuses.ca or call 613-991-3053

Media contact:

Caroline Desabrais
Communications and Marketing Officer
613-998-5342
cdesabrais@technomuses.ca

Or

Lucie Robillard
Communications and Marketing Clerk
613-943-1164
lrobillard@technomuses.ca