The Wool Festival at Taos
27th Annual will be held October 2 & 3, 2010
9am – 5pm on Saturday and 9am – 4pm on Sunday
KIT CARSON PARK, TAOS, NEW MEXICO
Immerse yourself in the more than 400 years of wool tradition as New Mexico, Colorado and Texas breeders and fiber artists celebrate the 26th year of the Taos Wool Festival on October 3 and 4. Join us in Kit Carson Park for two days of family fun ~ a look at traditional and contemporary fiber artistry, an opportunity to get up close and personal with sheep, goats, rabbits, alpacas and llamas, and an invitation for kids to try their hand at a fiber project.
Don Juan Oñate first brought the sturdy churro sheep to the region in 1598 as a walking commissary and fiber source for his small group of settlers. The churros quickly became a major basis of subsistence for both these newcomers and the indigenous people. Generations later, wool growing and fiber artistry maintain their economic viability for the people of the mountains and valleys who have added new artistic techniques and exotic products to traditional wools.
Within the circle of tents you will find vendors displaying a rainbow of natural and dyed yarns, woven, knitted, crocheted, and felted into wearables, tapestry and rugs. Raw wool fiber, wool prepared for spinning, yarns, tools, equipment and books tempt the novice to begin a project and the expert to expand horizons. Look for wool in more forms than you ever imagined… from more sheep breeds than you knew existed. And don’t forget to feel the exotic fibers…. mohair, cashmere, alpaca, llama, buffalo, and, angora rabbit.
Our Vendors are a select group - juried into the Wool Festival from among the membership of the Mountain and Valley Wool Association (MAVWA), which produces the annual Wool Festival. The MAVWA Board meets during April to jury booth applications and selects only the best to represent our Wool Festival’s mission. The selection will be made according to these priorities:
- quality of the work or products for sale
- residence in the regional area (Colorado, New Mexico and Texas)
- regional origin of animal fiber, i.e., grown/raised by the vendor is top priority—US and International fiber permitted if incorporated into products produced by the vendor
- previous volunteer participation
- previous membership and vendor participation round out the selection criteria
For more Membership/Vendor information visit the forms page or view our Directory list of our Membership (published October/November each year), or contact: membership@taoswoolfestival.org.
The Tents scattered around the center of the park are well worth a visit for those interested in the Wool and Fleece Competition, Handspun Yarn Competition, the Garment and Home Accessories Competition and Demonstrations of wool handling techniques.
The Information booth, also among the central tents, is where you can find, not only information, but the official collectable Wool Festival T-Shirts and Canvas Bags. These special shirts and Bags are designed for each year of the festival and go quickly.
Keep the Wool Festival spirit all year-round by ordering souvenir WF Logo Items from our NEW Promo & Souvenirs page! Help fund the festival by purchasing these goodies!
On Sunday the Silent Auction will be held in a central tent. The Auction is a major fundraiser for production of the Wool Festival and the items come both from our wonderful, generous vendors and other equally wonderful supporters of the Festival.
The “Fiber Critters Showcase” and two days of shearing demonstrations are both reminders that before the shawl wound its way around your shoulders, the hat graces your head, the blanket covered your bed or the rug your floor, there was a living, breathing fiber critter keeping warm with those fibers, which are renewed each year. Now you have an opportunity to see various sheep breeds, angora goats that give us mohair fiber, alpacas, llamas and angora rabbits. Talk with breeders about the care and feeding of their animals… about an agricultural life style… and about what drew them to the fiber industry.
Do you need a break? Wend your way among the central tents and follow the delicious scents to delectable eats! Lamb delicacies, vegetarian choices, goat cheese, cinnamon roasted almonds, cold drinks, hot coffee provide food for the body, while Taos musicians provide food for the soul. Find a grassy spot for a seat and enjoy the passing activities.
No entrance fee. Time: 9am – 5pm on Saturday and 9am – 4pm on Sunday
Note: Kit Carson Park is a public Town of Taos park that permits leashed dogs. SO, your well-behaved, leashed dog will be allowed at the festival. Pick up after your pet is a must! If your pet becomes a distraction to the festival, you will be asked to remove your pet from the premises.
E-mail contacts:
info@taoswoolfestival.org
questions@taoswoolfestival.org
auction@taoswoolfestival.org
workshops@taoswoolfestival.org
membership@taoswoolfestival.org
treasurer@taoswoolfestival.org
vendormemberinfo@taoswoolfestival.org