WWGA Small Flock Board Director Ivan Laird (left) is pictured with a UW student evaluating fleeces at the Wool Learning Kiosk, hosted by UW Extension’s Sheep Program. (Lindsay Conley-Stewart Photo)
The annual Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival will take place Friday, July 31, through Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Park County Fairgrounds in Powell, located at 655 E. Fifth St.
The event, organized by the Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) in partnership with University of Wyoming Extension and the Wyoming Wool Initiative (WWI), celebrates all aspects of the Wyoming sheep industry.
“There is truly something for everyone at the Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival. Collaboration between UW Extension, WWI and the WWGA will provide high-quality, interactive educational programming on Wyoming’s storied sheep industry,” says Whit Stewart, UW Extension sheep specialist.
The festival, which is free and open to the public, is designed for people of all ages. Throughout the two-day event, participants can attend an art show featuring wool craft and other artworks.
Friday’s events begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 7:30 p.m. Participants can take a self-guided tour of sheep trails in the surrounding area; attend educational programming; and explore the art show opening reception. Light appetizers are available in the evening.
From 9 a.m.-4 p.m., attendees are invited to visit the Shoshone National Forest for a workshop on targeted grazing, rangeland grazing management techniques, and predator and wildlife management. Those interested in attending the workshop are asked to pre-register for the event at www.wyomingsheepandwoolfestival.com/intermountainsheepgrazingworkshop, as lunch will be provided.
Saturday’s events begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at 10 p.m. Highlights include an all-day vendor fair, sheepdog trials and sheep-themed activities for children. Throughout the day, participants can attend presentations on topics such as sheep shearing, the history of sheepherding in northwest Wyoming and wool product marketing.
At 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, UW meat scientist Cody Gifford will demonstrate different ways to cook lamb. Participants will receive samples and guidance about direct marketing of lamb.
The Sheepherders Come Bye Awards Dinner will conclude Saturday’s programming. Starting at 6 p.m., WWGA and WWI will confer awards on donors; producers and stakeholders; artists; and sheepdogs and handlers.
Tickets are required to attend the dinner and can be purchased for $25 at www.wyomingsheepandwoolfestival.com/events/2026-wyoming-sheep-wool-festival. The deadline to purchase tickets is today (Friday).
Free, live music from Wyoming musician Josh Dorr will follow the dinner from 8-10 p.m. Participants are invited to dance at the live show.
For those interested in getting involved in the WWGA, Sunday, Aug. 2, will be dedicated to 2027 festival planning and a WWGA board meeting.
The Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival is a project of WWGA and the Wyoming SHEEP Foundation and is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, with partial funding from the Wyoming Arts Council and the Wyoming Humanities Council.
To view the full 2026 festival program, visit www.wyomingsheepandwoolfestival.com.
For more information, call WWGA Executive Director Alison Crane at (307) 265-5250 or email alison@wyowool.com.
About University of Wyoming Extension
UW Extension serves Wyoming communities by helping residents apply university research and resources to practical problems. Since 1914, UW Extension has provided educational programs and tools to the state’s 23 counties and the Wind River Indian Reservation. From 4-H programming and pesticide safety education to food preservation and nutrition courses, UW Extension upholds the university’s land-grant mission by offering learning opportunities for people of all ages. UW Extension staff help Wyoming residents boost agricultural production, care for lawns and gardens, cultivate future leaders, support individual and community well-being and develop thriving businesses. To learn more, visit www.uwyo.edu/uwe or call (307) 766-5124.
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.