Cedar City, Utah—Cedar City’s tranquil Downtown will get a little wild and wooly on Saturday, October 29th at 10 a.m. when the Sheep Parade herds its way down Main Street. Considered one of the most unique parades in the country, over 1,000 head of sheep will follow the historic Livestock Trail from Cedar Mountain, down Cedar City’s Main Street, to their winter home in the Cedar Valley. The Sheep Parade is the highlight event for the 11th Annual Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival, an annual celebration of southern Utah’s agricultural traditions and lifestyle.
According to Festival Chairman, Chad Reid “The first sheep were herded from Cedar Mountain in 1870, and have continued to travel through Cedar City every year since.” Reid adds, “The sight of a herd of sheep trailing down Main Street through historic Downtown is an exciting glimpse of our livestock heritage and truly a spectacle not to be missed. You never know if the sheep are going to behave or not.”
Horses, wagons, antique tractors, stock dogs, and historic and modern sheep camps also take part in the procession. The parade route is along Main Street from 200 South to 400 North. After the parade the tractors and sheep camps are on display the remainder of the day at the Cross Hollows Events Center, located at 11 North Cross Hollows Dr., during the Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival.
The 11th Annual Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival celebrates Iron County’s unique livestock and agricultural heritage October 27-30th with a variety of authentic events , including; cowboy poetry, Dutch Oven cooking contest, draft horse and antique tractor pull, stock dog demo, sheep camp display, quilt show, vintage auto display, ranch rodeo, cowboy church and of course the Sheep Parade!
New events have been added this year to include a Junior Ranch Rodeo; where youth teams compete in the traditional ranch skills of goat milking, team roping and branding. The Junior Ranch Rodeo will take place Friday night, October 28th at 4 pm at the Cross Hollows Events Center, 11 S. Cross Hollows Road. The 2nd new event is the Sheep Lead Contest; a sort of sheep fashion show according to Reid, where “contestants not only display their fashion skills but also their sheep-handling talents”. The Sheep Lead Contest will take place Saturday, October 29th at 4 pm at the Cross Hollows Events Center
For more information on all the Cedar Livestock &Heritage Festival activities including the Sheep Parade, visit www.cedarlivestockfest.com or call 435-586-8132
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The Cedar Livestock & Heritage Festival is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization completely operated by volunteers who are passionate about Cedar City’s agricultural heritage. The Festival honors the great ranching and farming families of Southern Utah, who continue to provide food sources to families all over the world.
