(Bouckville, NY – June 2015) The fifth annual CNY Fiber Festival will be held at Butternut Hills Campground in Bouckville June 13 and 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
Are you unfamiliar with fiber festivals? They have nothing to do with bran muffins or Metamucil. They are instead a celebration of the fleece or fiber produced by sheep, alpacas, llamas, goats, and rabbits, along with the ancients arts – spinning, weaving, felting, knitting – that transform raw fiber into works of art or practical goods.
At the CNY Fiber Festival, more than 100 booths will be occupied by vendors and exhibitors demonstrating their crafts and offering the finest fibers, yarns, fiber tools, and handmade products imaginable. All of the fiber animals that can be raised in Central NY will be represented, a new exhibit of hemp fiber will be available, and a smattering of related agricultural products – soaps, lotions, honey, jam – will be available.
For the seasoned fiber enthusiast, the festival is Nirvana, but there is plenty for the novice or casual visitor to appreciate as well. Three times each day, Jim Baldwin from Foxfire Farms in Freeville will demonstrate his skills shearing sheep.
At 11:30, 1:30, and 3:00, Jack Cymerman from Stoneleigh Farm and Kennel will show the crowd how a herding dog and its handler work together to control a flock of sheep.
Individual vendors will showcase their talents and explain their crafts on demand, and workshops will be offered at both beginning and advanced levels.
Descriptions of the workshops and information on registration procedures can be found on the website, www.cnyfiber.org.
A wide selection of food will be available, and singer Tim Carr will entertain visitors as they relax at the picnic tables scattered about the site.
A “wheel corral” will make it possible for aspiring spinners to try out a spinning wheel under the guidance of spinning guild members. Experienced spinners can try out different models with the various types of fiber provided and talk with the people who use each model. The tent will also house a fleece/fiber sale offering bags of raw fiber from a wide variety of sheep breeds and other fiber animals.
In the Children’s Tent, there will be activities for children of all ages. A corn pit and bubble play will entertain the very young , as will petting the lambs and kids. Children may choose to weave potholders or experiment with needle-felting a bookmark or decorating a mask. There will be fiber animals to paint or color or decorate with fleece. New this year is a periodic Fiber Story Time, when volunteers will read books about fiber animals and share samples of different types of raw fiber, roving, and finished products to help the children understand everything that happens between the sheep growing its fleece and the sweater that ultimately results from the process.
Adults may find the educational exhibits of interest and – who knows – may not be able to resist listening in on the reading of Is Your Mama a Llama?
Admission is $6; children younger than 12 admit free.
The CNY Fiber Festival is sponsored by CNY Fiber Artists & Producers, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting natural fibers and helping people to understand and appreciate the role of fiber farmers and fiber artists. Butternut Hills Campground is easy to find on Route 20 at the edge of the village of Bouckville, about a 40 minute drive from downtown Syracuse. More information and contact numbers can be found on the website at www.cnyfiber.org.