By Jeff Bacon
In 2015, Laura Musbach Drake directed the Championship Sheepdog Trials for the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival, never thinking she may one day take the reins of the prestigious event. Now, in 2016, as executive director, Laura and her team are ready to recognize the event’s 20th anniversary and ring in a new era of celebrating the Valley’s history of sheepherding and ranching.
“Longtime executive director Mary Austin Crofts did such an amazing job in developing the many events that make up the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival,” Laura explained during a recent interview. “I knew that I would have some big shoes to fill, but we have a strong staff with many years of experience and a very supportive board and volunteers, so this first year for me has really been about finding the places where we can enhance the experience.”
Returning to the Valley Oct. 5-9, the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival saw 26,000 people attend the many events that make up the Festival last year. “One of the best parts about the Festival is how many different things are all happening up and down the Valley,” Laura adds. “The Sheepdog Trials will be back in Hailey this year along with the Sheep Folklife Fair. There are cooking classes and storytelling and the Sheepherder’s Ball on Saturday night and, of course, everyone loves to see the sheep come down Main Street in the parade in Ketchum on Sunday.”
As one of the most photographed parts of the Festival, the annual parade of sheep on Sunday is the culmination of more than just a great event. “Some people think that this migration of sheep south down Main Street is a reenactment,” Laura explains. “In fact, the Trailing of the Sheep Festival was built around the tradition of herding the sheep from their summer grazing areas in the mountains up north to warmer climates south. The fact that we not only get to witness this, but incorporate it into a multi-day celebration, is testament to all of the hours and dedication of the hundreds of people that worked on this event for the last 19 years.”
And how many people does it take to put on the annual Festival? “Every year it takes nearly 200 volunteers to manage all of the events that are part of the Festival,” Laura notes. “We’ve been very lucky to have had such amazing people understand the value this Festival brings to the Valley and give of their time.”
Anyone wanting to volunteer as a greeter, assisting at the Sheepdog Trials or Folklife Fair or any of the events during the Festival, should visit the website at www.trailingofthesheep.org.
Jeff Bacon is The Chamber’s membership director. For more information, visit www.haileyidaho.com or call The Chamber at (208) 788-3484.