WASHINGTON, Pa. โ The weather was gloomy and damp, but eager onlookers stood along the racetrack roads waiting for the day's big event. Suddenly, a man yells over a bullhorn and the gates at the starting line open to reveal the sweet treats at the end of the street, the first heat of sheep racing toward the ears of corn.
The second annual Running of the Wools event was held on May 4th in downtown Washington, Pennsylvania. The Sheep Truck stars hail from Ross Farms, owned by sixth-generation shepherd Drew Ross.
Ross' family farm has been raising sheep for about 300 years, with more than 100 of them in Washington County. This annual event is a way to celebrate the Washington area's past and present sheep farming communities.
“We've been shepherds (for centuries) and we hope to be shepherds 300 years from now,” Ross said. “I want to share my family's history, my passion for farming, with everyone, and this was one of the best ways to do that.”
Ross Farms
When Ross was first approached with the idea of โโracing his own sheep in downtown Washington, he thought it was crazy. But after thinking about it, I realized that this is a great way to educate people.
“One of the main reasons we do this is that Washington County has such a long history of sheep and wool that most people have never actually seen a sheep.” Ross said.
Many people don't know the difference between sheep and goats, he added. This event aims to reveal this, among other information, about sheep.
The Ross family has a long history of sheep farming. The Ross family farmed sheep in Scotland before immigrating to the United States in 1746. Mr. and Mrs. Ross purchased a farm in Washington County in 1892, and in 1910 established a farm-like area where they raised cattle, sheep, and pigs.
โTurn-in-the-century agriculture had everything because it was still feeding the community before farming became specialized,โ Ross said.
The farm became a sheep-only operation in the 1960s. Today, the Rosses farm approximately 250 acres, raising sheep for meat and wool production and growing hay. Ross started making wool in 2008 when her mother took over the farm.
At Ross Farms we raise a mix of commercial and heritage breed sheep. One of the heritage breeds they raise is Hog Island sheep. There are currently fewer than 200 Hog Island sheep in the world, and the Livestock Conservancy lists them as “critical” on its conservation priority list. Ross says raising traditional sheep is in line with Ross Farm's mission.
โOur tagline for the farm is to protect the past and future of our culture,โ he said.
Event
The name of the “Running of the Wools” event is a play on the famous Running of the Bulls event held annually in Pamplona, โโSpain. The Washington Business District Authority began raising money for the event in 2022 with the “Spread the Ewes” fundraiser.
During this time, Ross asked several friends if they would be attending the event and how many people would actually be interested.
“All my friends in the industry said, 'We're not going to do that,' and I said, 'That's not directed at you, so it's okay,'” Ross said. I did. “This is aimed at consumers. These people have never seen a sheep. They have never seen a sheep being sheared.”
This year's event featured a sheep shearing demonstration on the main stage by Melinda Wamsley of Boss Mare Shearing. Participants then took to the stage to ask questions and touch the freshly sheared wool.
Brian Dana lives in Washington County and attended the Running of the Wools event last year. He grew up on a farm and knows how to shear sheep, but he says it's really helpful for others to see sheep live.
“I saw it growing up, and it's great that other people can see things like that,” Danna said.
Other activities at the event include sheep-to-shawl demonstrations, storytimes with Little Bo Beep, and local food, farm, and craft vendors, including numerous wool vendors like Ross Farms. It was included.
race
The first four heats of the race kicked off at 1 p.m., with a 15-minute interval between each heat. The sheep start in a trailer and move behind the gate at the start line when heated up. When the gate opens, they sprint down the street to the finish line and enter a camp filled with hay and ears of corn.
Sheep breeds entered in the race included North Country Cheviots, Shetlands, Jacobs, Hog Islanders and Scottish Blackfaces.
Ross doesn't often train his sheep for races. Ross Farm staff said they have feed buckets on hand in case the sheep need some stimulation, but “surprisingly, some of the girls didn't see the open trailer over there.'' For some people, that's the only place they want to go,” Ross said.
The first two heats of the race were a bit rough with the sheep stopping just before the finish line. But Ross and event organizer Shana Brown were able to quickly identify the problem. He was a little boy ringing a cowbell near the finish line. The race after that was smooth sailing.
Brown, who is also director of the Washington Commercial District Authority, said the first few races are often trial and error because test drives are not possible. Before last year's race, a sheep tried to jump over the fence. This year, Ross Farm staff were stationed next to the gates to prevent sheep from escaping.
At 2:30 p.m., the Battle of BAAAAnks began, with local banks vying for a spot in the championship race at 3 p.m.
Last year's event drew a large number of participants, but this year's championship race drew even more participants despite the weather, Brown said. The champion sheep of the day was Keawool DeAngelo, owned by Observer-Reporter.
Participants also voted on the name of their favorite sheep. Wool.i.am took first place. Owned by the Washington Auto Mall organization Driven by Hope, the second place winner was President Woolsbelt, owned by Washington and Jefferson College.
For Ross, this event is an opportunity to share the history of his family's farm, but more than that, it's about bringing awareness to the entire Washington County sheep farming community.
“Many of the farmers are aging and many of them don't have the energy to do things like this and cope. If I don't do it, who will? I don't want this industry to be forgotten. '' Ross said.
(Reporter Liz Partsch can be reached at epartsch@farmanddairy.com or 800-837-3419.)