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Bayfield Heritage Days coming back next weekend

Sheep return from summer grazing

The 15th annual Bayfield Heritage Days will be celebrated next Friday and Saturday.

The event kicks off next Friday evening at the old community gym on South Street with a beef brisket dinner and performance by the Bar-D Wranglers and The Worleys.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Bob and Kathy Worley will entertain with old-time music. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Then the Bar-D Wranglers will perform.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children under 12. They are available at Pine River Valley Bank and First National Bank in Bayfield, Southwest Ag, and the Pine River Heritage Society Museum in downtown Bayfield. This is a fundraiser for the museum.

The big day is Saturday, Sept. 27.

It starts with the 5k family fun run hosted by Boy Scout Troop 506, Sign-up is at 7 a.m. at Joe Stephenson Park. For information, contact Bill Faust.

Pine River Rotary Club members will be selling "Ewe Pick 'Em" tickets from 7:30 to 9 a.m. along the sheep trailing route on the Buck Highway. All of the sheep that will come through are numbered from 1 to 700. Before they come through, a sheep herder will grab one and check the number. The ticket with the number closest to that will win.

The $500 prize was donated by F&M Construction. Proceeds will be used to provide scholarships for BEEP pre-school families that can't afford the tuition.

Also before the sheep come through, Upper Pine Fire Auxiliary members will sell coffee and breakfast burritos along Mill Street and the Buck Highway (CR 521).

The Brown family sheep, around 2,000 of them, will come through approximately 9 a.m. They will come down County Road 501, across the highway, and continue south on the Buck Highway. Spectators will be directed to stand just on the west side of the Buck Highway and to stay out of the road when the sheep approach. PLEASE DO NOT BRING DOGS TO THIS EVENT!

New this year is a tractor decorating contest. That happens from 9 to 10 a.m. For information contact Phyllis Rhodes or Veronica Lasater.

Once the sheep are through town, the parade will take place at 10 a.m. on Mill Street, hosted by the Bayfield Lions Club. Parade entries are free, but pre-registration is required. The entry form can be printed from the event web site, www.bayfieldheritagedays.org.

Also at 10 a.m. will be the classic car show along Mill Street by Joe Stephenson Park, hosted by Pine River NAPA Auto Parts.

After the parade, activities shift to Joe Stephenson Park and continue into the evening. Several activities are new this year, along with the traditional live music, food and arts and crafts vendors and demonstrations, and the Rotary beer garden.

The tentative schedule is:

. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Lasater family old time sheep camp display; sheep fiber fun for kids, hosted by DeGoatnsheep Ranch; sheep photo booth sponsored by the La Plata County Farm Bureau.

. 10:30 a.m. to noon - face painting hosted by Bayfield Realty.

. 11 a.m. to noon - square dance demonstration by the San Juan Square Dancers.

. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., sooner if the beer runs out, Pine River Rotary Club beer garden.

. 1 to 2 p.m. - sheep dog herding demonstration by Keith Fassbender.

. 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. - live music by Denny Finn and friends.

. 2 p.m. - pet costume contest sponsored by Pawsh Pet Salon.

Evening activities are:

. 5 to 6 p.m. - riding lawnmower races.

. 6 to 7 p.m. - chili cook-off sponsored by Upper Pine Fire.

. 6 to 7 p.m. cast iron skillet toss contest organized by Glen Terry.

. 7 to 8 p.m. - street dance.

Information about Heritage Days is at www.bayfieldheritagedays.org, or call 884-2331. Vendor applications are still being accepted, and the price for a vendor space has been discounted to only $20, or $40 for a double space.

The event started in 2000 to showcase the valley's farm and ranch heritage and celebrate the changing season. This year's event is a cooperative effort of the Bayfield Lions, Pine River Rotary, Pine River Heritage Society, and interested individuals.