Weave for Life By Sarah Bull
Photos Courtesy of Yorkshire Meadows
What do barn tours, knitting needles, and shortbread cookies have in common? Finding the answer to this riddle may not be as difficult as you first suspect. Every necessary clue can be found at one pastoral event: The Yorkshire Meadows Spring Wool Festival.
This festival, held at the Yorkshire Meadows Knitting and Spinning Shop, will be “spinning” off at 10 a.m. on Saturday May 17. Organized by the Roseville United Methodist Church, this gala is packed with demonstrations, sales, auctions, and concerts, which will be taking place until 4 p.m., the festival’s conclusion.
Proceeds from the wool festival will be donated to the church’s Relay For Life team for their walk at Mansfield University this summer.
“This is to honor the memory of Lin Hause, Trev Bailiffe, Dorothy Alloway, Dorothy McLelland, and my parents—George and Dorothy Burkin. It is also to encourage those I know who are either battling or have overcome cancer,” comments Liz McLelland, one of the Relay For Life team members.
The day-long festival will feature demonstrations in spinning, weaving, knitting, and felting. One of these demonstrators will be the Fort Freeland Flickers, the “Junior Sheep to Shawl” winners at the 2008 Pennsylvania Farm Show.
There will also be several items for sale including “Find a Cure” knitting needles, shortbread cookies, pink ribbon fleeces, and items from Kitty Thompson’s art show. Additionally, a shawl woven by Brynn Schmitt, using yarn from the Yorkshire Meadows’ flock, will be auctioned off.
A local bluegrass band, Grass Stained Genes, will begin performing at 1 p.m. After enjoying these fascinating demonstrations and lively music, a quick trip down the road will bring an entirely new experience. Barn tours, guided by Kathleen and Robbie England, will be given at the Glennfiddich Farm, home to nearly 150 lambs. All donations for these tours will be given to the Relay For Life team as well.
The Yorkshire Meadows Spring Wool Festival has more to offer than just the answer to a riddle. Be sure to weave this festival into your schedule in order to help support Relay For Life.
Mountain Home intern Sarah Bull is a senior at Wellsboro Area High School
