The Lopez Lamb, Wool and Goat Festival is ba-a-a-ck on May 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lopez Center for Community and the Arts in “downtown” Lopez Island.

Started in 2011 as a celebration of island agriculture, the Lopez Lamb, Goat and Wool Festival will celebrate and profile many different aspects of sheep and goats.  Visitors can learn about different sheep and goat breeds, cheese-making, meat-cutting demonstrations, sheep dogs demonstrations,  sheep shearing, spinning, weaving, felting and dyeing, and more.   Information from Lopez Community Land Trust, Lopez Locavores, the Lopez Farm-to-School Program and the San Juan County Textile Guild will be available.  Local vendors will offer island-made goat cheese, hand crafted textiles, local yarn, fleece, meat, and other lamb, goat and wool products.  Daytime events from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. are free.  This is fun for family and friends of all ages.

In the evening, Vita’s Wildly Delicious will serve a festive meal of local lamb and island-grown produce.  Doors to the Lopez Center will open at 5:30 for appetizers and a no-host bar, and dinner will be served at 6:30. Dinner seating is limited; tickets are available ($44 apiece) by contacting vitas@rockisland.com.

Robert Herrmann will host an auction during the dinner, with all proceeds to benefit the Lopez Farm-to-School Program.   Among the fabulous items in the auction are boat cruises, lamb for your freezer, a shawl of Lopez wool woven during the day’s events and more.  Auction items will be available for viewing during the day and at the dinner auction. The Lopez Lamb, Wool and Goat Festival is sponsored by Island Fibers and the San Juan County Agricultural Resources Committee. For more information, contact Island Fibers at 468-2467 or email fibers@islandfibers.com.