Once again this year, a group of women from the Wednesday Spinners—celebrating their 31st consecutive year at the Common Ground Country Fair—will coordinate all activities of the Fleece Tent.

As always, fairgoers will have an abundance of sheep fleeces from which to choose—white and colored; fine, medium and long staple; coarse; plus fleeces from “primitive” breeds. The fleeces will be organized initially by color and then grade, with each grower’s fleeces grouped together within the respective category. Specialty fibers, including llama, alpaca, mohair, cashmere and angora, will also have ample space. Signs on tables will lead buyers to just what they are looking for; a bulletin board will be filled with information about growers; and a table will hold samples of fleece and information about uses of different types—whether for spinning beautiful yarn or creating fabulous felt. Knowing that variety is the key to a good sale, the Spinners encourage all growers to take part. The Fleece Tent promises to be a fiber lover’s dream!

The Fleece Show on Saturday will include specialty fibers this year. Wool judging will start at 10 a.m., and specialty fibers will be judged on Saturday afternoon. For 2007, wool growers may submit one fleece in each of the following categories: white or colored; and within those divisions, fine, medium, long, and coarse; and primitive/dual-coated. Specialty fiber growers may submit one fleece in each of the following categories: alpaca and llama—white, colored, and cria (under one year at time of shearing); angora rabbit; goat—adult and kid mohair, cashmere, and cashgora. The fee for each entry is $3. For further information about submitting fiber to the sale and/or show, please contact Penelope Olson at 785-2784 or mizoly@midcoast.com.

Once again, the Fleece Tent will emphasize education and information. Throughout the weekend, spinners and growers will be available to answer questions about choosing the right fleece for your needs. Find yourself with one too many fleeces? We’ll have information on Maine’s growing number of fiber processing mills. In addition, the schedule will include talks all three days—at the speakers’ tent right outside the Fleece Tent—with subjects that include choosing the right fleece for spinning; contemporary trends in felt-making; raising quality fleeces; raising sheep on Maine’s islands; a talk by the editor of Wild Fibers Magazine; and a talk on wools of the world. Please see the schedule for details and times for this lively weekend.

We’ll have lots of space to sit and spin in our three-pole, 80-foot tent. We encourage interested spinners—individuals or small groups—to join us throughout the weekend.

The Fleece Tent is a major component of a growing fiber area at the Fair that includes the Wednesday Spinners plus several Maine vendors. Enjoy a journey from fleece to finished product, with many stops along the way!

Registration materials for the Fleece Tent Fiber Sale will be posted when they are finalized. If you wish to pre-register, please contact Penelope Olson, 207-785-2784 or mizoly@midcoast.com, and let her know how many fleeces you plan to submit so she can send you the right number of tags and registration forms. When you get them, please fill out the tags and forms as completely as possible.

Fleeces may be submitted from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 18th, and will also be accepted at any other time during the Fair. During the weekend, cars may be driven onto the Fairgrounds in the morning for delivery of fleeces, but they must off the grounds by 8:30 a.m. There will be a supply of registration materials available at the Fleece Tent throughout the weekend.

For more information about the Fleece Tent and/or Fleece Sale, contact:
Penelope Olson
207-785-2784
mizoly@midcoast.com