The Sheep & Wool Family Festival

Fall is officially here! Love it or hate it, summer is over :(. It also happens to be that time of year where… Holiday season is coming up! So it’s time to start planning your holiday gift knitting, sewing, or crochet too. Yep, can’t believe how time flies either… Anyway, more about that later!

I was looking for a one day getaway outside of the city the other day and found this while on the hunt! It’s the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival that takes place up in Rhinebeck, NY. It’s a hike! It will be quite a long trip but for those New Yorkers and fiber fanatics looking for a one day getaway or a weekend getaway this fall, Rhinebeck could be a lovely little trip.

The northeast’s thriving sheep industry is showcased and celebrated each year in this famous festival that draws 30,000 visitors from across the country to the lovely village of Rhinebeck. And there’s more here than sheep, llamas, alpacas, and their luscious fibers. Your day will include 300 fiber artists and crafts galore, amazing sheepherding demonstrations and sheepdog trials, a petting zoo, hay maze, and other children’s activities, plus the ever-popular Punkin’ Chuckin’ competition on Sunday. By the time you add in great food and music (even a fiddler or two), it will be time to go home and you’ll start counting the days until the 2012 Festival. — New York State Sheep & Wool Festival

There are also wonderful workshops like Spinning, Weaving, Yarn Painting, Dyeing, Bavarian Crochet, Portuguese Knitting, Basket Weaving, Oh My! Check out the Workshops page for all the nice classes. And of course there will be yarn, yarn, yarn! From local vendors to vendors like Lion Brand Yarns, Knit Picks, and Webs.

WHERE:
Sheep & Wool Festival
The Dutchess County Fairgrounds
6550 Spring Brook Avenue
Rhinebeck, NY 12572

WHEN:
Saturday, Oct 15, 2011 ~ 9-5PM
Sunday, Oct 16, 2011 ~ 10-5PM

HOW TO GET THERE:
You will take the Metro-North Railroad to the Poughkeepsie stop. This stop is on the “Hudson Line” train. From there you will have to take a bus to the festival. The Metro-North Railroad trains can be caught at Grand Central Terminal, right here in NYC at 42nd Street and Park Ave. To buy “the package”, go up to the ticket teller and request the “New York State Sheep and Wool Family Festival Package”. It will include roundtrip fare and admission. See below for further details.

Get this Package: Metro-North Getaways
Get on at: Grand Central Terminal
Take this train: Hudson Line
Get off at: Poughkeepsie Station
Roundtrip Fare: $31.50
Roundtrip Shuttle: $5.00 (not included in package price) Approx. 45 minutes
Festival Admission: $9.00

If you’re not leaving from New York City, there’s lots of other ways to get there too. So be sure check out their website for other modes of transport.

All pics in this post by Garret C. Lown