Harvest Some Farm Fun

Farm Artisan and Fiber Festival comes to Whitehall

Anna Semanko |

Bah-bah black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir… at the Harvest Home Farm Artisan and Fiber Festival. On Saturday, June 16, from 10am to 4pm, the Harvest Home Farm in Whitehall, Wis. will be hosting this first event showcasing local artisans as they shear, weave, spin and blacksmith. Along with witnessing the production of the fibers, guests are invited to view and purchase the end results. A barn full of locally handcrafted souvenirs awaits with a plethora of choices from wool socks to yarn to pottery to local photography to llama-and-alpaca fleeces. Roaming around these demonstrations and crafts will be sheep, llamas, alpacas, and sheep dogs. Attendees will get the chance to watch sheep dogs round up and pen some sheep in a stock dog trial – a competition courtesy of the Wisconsin Working Stock Dog Association. Also teaming up with the farm is Future Farmers of America (FFA) and local 4H clubs who will be selling food and drinks. The event was inspired by similar regional events like the Shepherds Harvest in Lake Elmo, Minn. (held in May) and the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in Jefferson, Wis. (held in September), which both feature fibers and have been running for over 10 years. Julie Arnould from Harvest Home Farm, who will be presenting her spinning talents at the festival, says that they have “kicked around this idea in the past” and that they are excited to finally present it to the community. The event will be held at Harvest Home Farm and is free and open to the entire family.