Are you EXCITED????

I am. Every Shearing Day is a GREAT day, as far as we’re concerned. This year, our Shearing Day is planned for March 21, 2026. Are you keen to attend? Here’s a run-down of what you Need To Know.

The Basics

This will be the sixth year we’ve opened our Shearing Day up to the public. It’s a great time to meet some other members of our fibre community – from artisans, educators, regenerative farmers, shearers, entrepreneurs, wool advocates and conservationists! We believe in community and I’m confident that bringing together folks who live and thrive in these different but overlapping worlds can only benefit us all. We also believe in transparency and having an open shearing day is a great step in that direction. 

Now, having said that, shearing is a definite art and it’s one that happens with animals that may not always appreciate it. . . Just like I don’t always appreciate going to the dentist, sheep can sometimes (especially if it’s their first experience) be less than co-operative. I want everyone who attends to know that safety and comfort is our first priority – for Alex the Shearer and the sheep. You will see that we both work hard to ensure their security throughout the process. We encourage all attendees to ask questions but we also ask everyone to understand that each sheep is an individual and so each may respond in their own way. It may be necessary for the safety and security of Alex and the sheep to keep a respectful distance. We will absolutely keep our guests in the loop as we go. 

Now then! On to the details. Shearing Day is the main event around here and we are always so encouraged when people want to engage, see how the process happens, get hands on, meet the flock and see for themselves how we do things. If you’re planning to attend, please note REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. WE CANNOT ACCOMMODATE ‘DROP INS.’ To register, read on!

Parking

Parking is available across the road from the homestead, on the west side of Horse Creek Road (for those of you who joined us for Open Farm Days, parking will be in the same location as it was for that event). It will be clearly marked and the gate will be open. Once you’ve parked, walk down the laneway and proceed (carefully!) across the road to the open farm gate (just look for the orange tractor).

Registration and Confirmation

Hit the button and let me know! Your spot is confirmed once you have received a confirmation email upon receipt of your registration ($40 per person, these funds will be applied to your fleece purchase should you wish to make one! Whole fleece purchases only. PLEASE NOTE any cancellations happening after March 5^th will not be refunded – sorry! E-transfer to providencelanehomestead@gmail.com ). I will also need your email and your phone number. Once payment has been received, I will send you a confirmation email. If you’re concerned something got missed, don’t hesitate to reach out! I am always available.

Lunch

If you are going to be joining us for a hot, homemade lunch, your total is $55. Please let us know if you would prefer a vegetarian option! Lunch includes a rustic shepherd’s pie, a crunchy and refreshing side salad as well as a dessert with coffee and/or tea. Our vegetarian option is a hearty vegetarian chilli. I’m so grateful to our neighbour Nan for her support of Shearing Day – Nan is an exceptional cook-and-caterer and you’re going to love what she is planning.

Schedule (which can be subject to change. . . )

Please plan to be here at 9AM for a brief run-down, boot sanitation and orientation on some dos and don’ts. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and have sufficient water to drink. Sturdy boots, waterproof and warm clothing, gloves etc are all essential in the pastures where we can be quite exposed. Our morning program will begin approximately at 9:30AM.

We will be spending our morning rotating between various informal stations including demonstrations and hands-on drop spindle opportunities with the Heritage Weavers and Spinners Guild and our Tracking Tour with Maddy Skinner from Cows and Fish as well as tours of the barns and studio. We will break for lunch and then it’ll be time to get ourselves ready for Alex’s arrival, set-up and the Main Event – shearing!

As a special opportunity, for anyone who would like to, Bev down at the Bottrel Store (Bottrel was named after Edward Botterell who came to area from Montreal in the late 1880’s. Together, with E.H. Botterell, he established the Dog Pound Ranch which was later renamed the Botterell Ranch. After several changes in ownership, the ranch was finally purchased in 1905 by John Thomas Boucher. In 1908, Mr. Boucher built a cheese factory and opened the Bottrel General Store and post office, saving residents the trip to Crossfield for supplies and mail. The store continues to serve the area) is ready and happy to welcome you to the Rosza Cafe (the lattés are top-notch!). She would love to showcase the historic building, offer tours for anyone who’s interested and of course, there are lots of local handcrafts and baked goods for sale.

The SHEARING will begin around 1 p.m. Shearing itself takes about an hour but the skirting etc can take as long as we like!

Be sure to peruse the homestead offerings we have for you this year including yarn, soap, our special “Observation Field Guides,” some handcrafts and our very own beautiful blend of native wildflower seeds put together for us by our friends at Wild About Flowers. We’re even selling compost by the bag. Take some of our frontier home with you!

Need To Knows. . .

We do not have toilet facilities here. (There is a washroom at the Bottrel Store but if you avail yourself of their facilities, please do make a purchase by way of thank you).

– biosecurity is a priority. Please bring footwear that can go into our disinfectant bath. If you can’t put your feet in the disinfectant, I’m afraid you won’t be permitted in the pens.

– our sheep will be off feed for 12 hours prior to shearing. This is to ensure Alex’s safety. It does tend to make them a bit loud though – hangry happens!

– we run quite a few electric fences. These will be pointed out to you in advance. Please DO NOT touch the electric fences!

– on that note, A WAIVER must be signed to participate and be on-farm. I will email your waiver when you reach out to register! Don’t forget, REGISTRATION OPENS ON VALENTINE’S DAY, 2026

– we welcome questions and are happy to engage but this is a busy time – please know it’ll be all-hands-on deck! We will need people to help direct animals, label bags, run back-and-forth with wool bags, sweep waste wool, make sure Banjo doesn’t leave the sheds without his apron (this is KEY!!), take pictures, make jokes, skirt wool and ooh and aahh!!

– RAIN DATE we don’t have one this year (so fingers crossed the weather gods cooperate!) and this is a RAIN OR SHINE event. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. Dress appropriately. In the event of something truly terrible, I will of course be in touch with plans and next steps.

– Finally, you may also meet (you’ll definitely hear) Clio and her protégé Brian, our resident livestock guardian dogs. These two are an integral part of our flock BUT they are working dogs, not pets. Well, not quite the same as house dogs, anyway. These guys have some firm ideas about boundaries and shearing day is NOT Clio’s favourite – Brian is a bit more ambivalent. Ensuring our guardians’ safety – and making sure everyone else is safe – means that we respectfully insist that no one visits, attempts to touch or gets too close to Clio or Brian. They will be controlled but their boundaries are important. Please respect them. 

Thank you so much for your support! We are always excited about this day when we get to see the results of so much of our hard work. Thank you again – I’m looking forward to welcoming you to the homestead!