“SHEEP SHEARING”AT KLINE CREEK FARM APRIL 20 AND 21

       Find out how wool gets from the sheep to the shop during the annual “Sheep Shearing” weekend on Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kline Creek Farm, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s 1890s living-history farm in West Chicago.
      See a number of live demonstrations at this free event. Watch as the farm’s sheep lose their winter coats by modern and old-fashioned methods, including 100-year-old hand-cranked shears. Find out how raw wool was scoured, carded and spun for use in knitting, quilting and more. Also, see skillful herding dogs in action as border collies from Heatherhope Farm move the flock in the pasture.
      Sheep were an important commodity to an 1890s farmer, providing income through the sale of wool and individual animals. A true working farm, Kline Creek Farm has raised Southdown sheep since 1997 with much of the animals’ year-round care provided by volunteers. Kline Creek Farm sheep have won several awards at county and state fairs. Numerous lambs were born on the farm this spring, and visitors can see them in the sheep shed whenever the farm is open.
      Kline Creek Farm, 1N600 County Farm Road, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Admission and a variety of seasonal activities are free. For information on the farm, call
630-876-5900 or visit dupageforest.org/klinecreekfarm.