Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Musbach Drake.
Hi Laura, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It was the 1990s and the Blaine County Recreation District (BCRD) was putting in its Wood River Trail—a 20-plus mile paved, multi-use, year-round path that provides a non-motorized connection between the Wood River Valley communities of Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley. The late John Peavey, co-founder of the Festival with his wife, Diane Josephy Peavey, was running for Idaho Senate. When the “bike path” – common slang for the Wood River Trail – was to be installed, the team from BCRD contacted local sheep ranchers to let them know of the pathway. It was going to intersect with the sheep’s natural driveway in places – the paths the animals trailed north for mountain grazing and south for winter grazing for over 150 years. The ranchers and BCRD team agreed – as long as the sheep could still trail their natural pathways, they could co-exist with the new bike path users. When the path was installed, John’s phone started ringing off the hook (as unfriendly droppings were now getting stuck in recreators’ bike wheels, roller blade wheels, skateboard wheels and more.) “Get YOUR sheep off OUR bike path,” was demanded – or so the story goes. John, seeing an opportunity to turn a conflict into a peaceful resolution, invited people to meet for coffee at a local café and then walk with the sheep through the Valley to learn about this historic tradition of trailing the sheep. Along the way, they shared stories of the rich history, heritage and cultures of the Wood River Valley. It was small, informal and educational – and, people loved it.
The Peaveys met with the local Sun Valley/Ketchum Chamber & Visitor Bureau (SVKCVB) to discuss the idea of creating an event based on the sheep trailing. Seeing the potential to turn a conflict into a celebration of cultural heritage and a unique fall event to attract visitors, the SVKCVB quickly jumped on board with support and the Trailing of the Sheep Festival was born. The SVKCVB, along with the Peaveys and a dedicated committee of volunteers, produced the event until 2003, when the non profit Trailing of the Sheep Cultural Heritage Center, Inc., was formed to take over the reins and continue to develop the Festival into the future.
Now, each Fall, the Trailing of the Sheep Festival honors the 150-plus year annual tradition of moving sheep (‘trailing’) from high mountain summer pastures down through the Valley to traditional winter grazing and lambing areas in the south. This annual migration is living history and the focus of a unique and authentic Festival that celebrates the people, arts, cultures, and traditions of Idaho’s sheep ranching families, highlighting the principal contributors – the Basques, Scottish, and Peruvians. While the Festival has expanded greatly from its humble beginnings, the goals and objectives of the Festival remain the same—preserving the stories and history of sheep ranchers and herders, celebrating the rich cultures of the past and present, and entertaining and educating children and adults about the production of local food and fiber that have sustained local economies for generations.
Last year, combined attendance at the five-day Festival topped over 25,000 people coming from 46 states and multiple countries with an economic impact to the Valley of just over $7.5 million. The five-day Trailing of the Sheep Festival includes nonstop activities in multiple venues: history, folk arts, an authentic Sheep Folklife Fair, lamb culinary offerings, Wool Fest classes, music, storytelling, National Qualifying Sheepdog Trials and, the always entertaining, Big Sheep
Parade with over 1,200 sheep hoofing it down Main Street in Ketchum.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trailingofthesheep.org/
- Instagram: trailingofthesheepfestival
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trailingofthesheep/
