Time flies when you're having fun and moving sheep.
Bayfield Heritage Days and Sheep Trailing is celebrating its 19th anniversary this weekend.
With the exception of last year, our event has always been blessed with beautiful fall weather and (mostly) cooperative sheep who are moving from the high country to lower winter pastures.
Heritage Days is brought to you by a group of local folks, and I think it's a perfect example of how if everyone does a little bit, you can pull off a pretty cool event.
On Friday evening, the Pine River Valley Heritage Society will hold its beef brisket dinner at the old gym in downtown Bayfield. Local folk group Agave will perform during dinner, followed by the Bar D Wranglers. This event is organized by Tony and Anne Schrier with lots of volunteer help.
The Boy Scout Troop 506 organizes the 5K fun run at 8 a.m., along with breakfast burrito sales. Registration is available online or at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
J. Paul Brown and his family bring their sheep across U.S. Highway 160 and down the Buck Highway at about 9 a.m. But they run on sheep time, so it happens when it happens. The sheep come down County Road 501, so if you're trying to get to the event before the arrival of the sheep, we recommend getting downtown by 8 or 8:30 a.m. That way, you can also cheer on the runners and walkers, eat a breakfast burrito, and buy a Heritage Day hoodie.
After the sheep move through, the parade starts on Mill Street. Jay and Phyllis Rhodes and other members of the Bayfield Lions Club organize the parade, and it's just small-town fun without all of the huge crowds at Independence Day. This year's parade marshals are Geri Lasater, Debbie Janus and Carole McWilliams, who were among the original organizers of the event, starting in 2000.
After the parade, please come join us at Joe Stephenson Park for a Disc Dog Demo by Jenni Berkman, hay wagon rides and the ag trailer from La Plata County Farm Bureau, and children's activities organized by the Pine River Library and Pine River Centennial Rotary. Rotary members also are selling Blue Ewe tickets before the sheep trailing. The winner whose ticket number is the same as the blue ewe wins $500! And the red ram winner receives $250. The Browns and their herders select the sheep that are dyed blue and red for the event.
Agave also will perform in the park, starting at about 10:30 a.m.
There also will be kids field day events at about 11 a.m. at the south end of the park, sponsored by Momentum Fitness, AJ's Greenhouse and the Billy Goat Saloon.
At 1 p.m., these businesses will sponsor a hay bale carry contest, with the proceeds benefiting a local man who is recovering from a stroke. The event costs $10 per person. To register, please call or text Momentum Fitness at 884-6077.
I'll be at the Heritage Days booth in the park, selling T-shirts and giving away some Pine River Times goodies.
Finally, that evening we will have our slightly belated Fourth of July fireworks! They will be at dusk, at about 7 p.m., in Joe Stephenson Park.
Other members of our committee are Curt Brown of the Heritage Society, Carole McWilliams of Rotary, and Darcy Harp and Shelley Walchak of the Pine River Library. Bayfield town staff and the Marshal's Office help us set up and block traffic.
This year, Veronica Lasater has chaired the event, and honestly, she is good at herding cats, along with sheep. So along with BHS Homecoming, this will be a busy, fun weekend.
So please come join us! We would love to have ewe!
Thanks for reading.
