With fall and rainy weather comes sheep.
Moving from high-country pastures, about 2,000 ewes and lambs will come through Bayfield between 9 and 10 a.m. on Saturday for the 18th annual Bayfield Heritage Days and Sheep Trailing.
Friday night's kickoff event features the Bar D Wranglers and a beef brisket supper in the old community gym in downtown Bayfield. Agave, a local Americana band, also will perform. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children, and a few tickets are still available at First National Bank of Durango in Bayfield, Community Bank of Colorado, and Southwest Ag.
Saturday's events start with a 5K fun run or 1K family walk starting at 8 a.m. at Joe Stephenson Park, organized by Bayfield Boy Scout Troop 506.
Registration is $20 the day of the event and includes a race T-shirt.
The Scouts also will sell breakfast burritos starting at 7:30 at Calvary Presbyterian Church.
The sheep will come down the Buck Highway sometime between 9 and 10 a.m. and the parade will take place immediately after on Mill Street. Following the sheep and Mill Street parade, events will take place in Joe Stephenson Park.
"Remember, the sheep sometimes have their own plans, so these times are approximate!" say the event organizers. "Please keep your dogs home for the sheep parade on the Buck Highway and stay out of the street. Let's leave the sheep herding and wrangling to the professionals!"
Upper Pine River Fire Protection will host their first Junior Firefighter Agility Course in the park to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Fill the Boot campaign.
Border collies will take the field in the park at 10:30 a.m. for agility and Frisbee demonstrations.
Other events in the park include children's games, more than 37 vendors and demonstrations, and live music by Agave.
This year's Heritage Day sponsors are the Ballantine Family Fund, First National Bank of Durango, La Plata Farm Bureau, Bayfield Realty, Southwest Ag, Farmers Fresh Market and Lewis True-Value Mercantile.
The event is organized by the La Plata Farm Bureau Organization, Pine River Valley Heritage Society, Pine River Library, Bayfield Lions Club, Pine River Centennial Rotary and Bayfield Chamber of Commerce. The organizers thank the Brown family for trailing the sheep!
More information is at www.bayfieldcoheritagedays.org or on the group's facebook page.
