Black Sheep Gathering

Black Sheep Gathering is a fiber festival at the Linn County Expo Center in Albany, Oregon, in the heart of the Willamette Valley. What sets it apart is the focus on natural-colored animals and their fleeces. You'll find livestock shows for sheep and angora goats, a fleece competition judged across wool and alpaca categories, and a juried fiber arts and yarn show featuring finished work in knitting, crochet, and other techniques. The agricultural side runs right alongside the fiber arts, so you're seeing the animals, their raw fleeces, and the finished handwork all in one place. The gathering is entirely volunteer-run with free admission and free parking. One note: dogs are not permitted near livestock areas, including service animals.