Events

Shearing

Our fiber harvest is officially gathered in on shearing day.  Both the sheep and alpacas are sheared in March, on separate days.  The alpacas must be taken off-site to be sheared at a friend’s ranch, so we cannot invite visitors to this event.  (We’ll be happy to let you feel the fleeces in the bags once they come home.  And freshly sheared alpacas are a very funny sight, definitely worth seeing.)

Sheep shearing, however, happens here at the farm, and the public is welcome.  We work with a wonderful shearer who travels around the country, so the date is dependent on his schedule.  When we know the actual date each year, we’ll post it on the calendar of events.

A good shearer is magical to watch.  We’ve timed Danny at a pretty consistent one-sheep-every-three-minutes pace.  The fleece comes off of the sheep in one piece, and is taken to the skirting table, where experienced fiber ladies pull off all the undesirable wool, manure tags and vegetable matter.  The fleeces are then bagged and labeled with the sheep’s name, for washing at a later date.

Farm Camp

Two sessions:  June 18-21, 2012 and June 25-29, 2012 (9 AM to noon each day)

Do your kids know where eggs come from?  Have they ever tried knitting?  Kids 7-10 years old have the opportunity to spend five mornings learning about life here on the farm.  We spend a little time touring the farm and meeting the animals every day, and then move to the air-conditioned comfort of the Little Red Barn studio for stories, crafts, and games.  Your kids will learn about the farm animals and the products we enjoy from each kind of animal here at Jacob’s Reward.  We will focus particularly on all the fun things we can do with fiber.

Click here for registration form.  Space is limited to the first six campers registered for each session.  $150 per child.

“Share the Harvest” Fall Gift Market

October 20, 2012

Get your picture taken with a sheep!  We celebrate all the blessings that have come in the preceding year by throwing a wonderful festival here at the farm, featuring dozens of our friends who handcraft fascinating products – knitted items, leather goods, soaps, photography, candles and the like.  It’s a great place to get the Christmas shopping done.  Our professional storyteller friends entertain guests of all ages.  Kids also line up for face painting and refreshments.  We offer several ways to give back to the community at this festival – we collect food for Allen Community Outreach, knitted squares for baby afghans, or premie hats for local NICU wards.  So far, the weather has always cooperated and given us a lovely sunny day for our “Share the Harvest” Fall Gift Market.

Shareholders’ Christmas Tea

December 8, 2012

What a joy to throw a party for the folks who have supported the farm throughout the year with their love, encouragement, and investments.  This is a special get together to celebrate the season with our loyal shareholders, enjoying refreshments and gifts, and the sheer hilarity of each others’ company.  This is a not-to-be-missed shindig in the Little Red Barn.