What to Know
- Sheep Shearing Day at the Barnyard will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Tanaka Farms on March 18
- Highland Springs Ranch & Inn's Sheep Shearing Festival will happen on March 25 and 26, and again on April 1 and 2 in Cherry Valley
- You can see sheep at the Animal Center at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, but no shearing presentations are on the schedule
Trotting off to the barber?
It's an appointment we generally arrange when we require a cut and not by observing what the specific season happens to be.
But when a sheep gets a trim, the calendar on the wall very often shows the month of March or April.
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No, the regal ruminants don't have to dial up their hairdresser to book a slot when spring arrives, nor do the animals show up with photos of the trendy styles they'd like; rather, farmers gather their tools and gently proceed to clip all of that fabulous fluff from the animal.
This ancient practice gives the critter a cool new look before the warmer days of summer arrive, yes, but we grateful humans are also given the excellent opportunity to employ all of that soft wool in a variety of essential items, from clothing to household goods.
Sheep shearing can often be observed at county fairs, if you arrive at the event at the right time, but there are a few spots around our region where you can count on seeing the shear wonder of this barnyard tradition.
Sheep Shearing Day at Tanaka Farms is trotting into the Irvine agricultural destination at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 18. (That's the time you'll want to be there if you want to observe the shearing demo.)
You'll also discover more about the fiber arts, a calling that has long been interwoven, in every sense, with the shearing of sheep.
And at Highland Springs Ranch & Inn in Cherry Valley? The Sheep Shearing Festival will add a woolly wonderfulness to early spring on the final weekend of March and the first weekend of April.
Entry is free, parking has a fee, and if it rains? The fest will be canceled, so do keep tabs on the weather.
A sheep herding demonstration is on the schedule, neato, and a closer look at natural dyes.
If you'd simply like to see some sheep, and goats, and little chicks, and bunnies, too, the Springtime Easter Festival at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark opens on March 18.
No shearing activities are on the roster at the bustling farm, do note, but seeing these adorable beasties, and all of their barnyard buddies, will be a sweet centerpiece of this annual happening.
