Join the team at Tilly Foster Farm for weaving, felting and other demonstrations between 11:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday, August 9, 2008 and see rare Jacob Sheep up-close and personal…Come early so you don’t miss anything.  Tilly Foster Farm is located at 100 Route 312 in Brewster, NY.

According to The Jacob Sheep Breeder’s Association (JSBA), Jacob Sheep have graced the large estates and country homes of England for many centuries. Their impressive horns, black and white faces and spotted bodies have no doubt contributed to their popularity and survival.

Their actual origins are not known. However, documentation throughout history indicates that the spotted or pied sheep may have originated in what is now Syria some three thousand years ago. Pictorial evidence traces movement of these sheep through North Africa, Sicily, Spain and on to England.

There are many romantic stories about the Jacob Sheep being direct descendants of the flock of sheep acquired by Jacob during the time he worked for his father-in-law as mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 30), or that they were washed ashore from shipwrecks during the attempted invasion of the Spanish Armada during the reign of Elizabeth I.  The American Jacobs are an old world sheep which, unlike many other old world breeds, have not undergone improved breeding and out crossing to satisfy the commercial marketplace.

Jacob Sheep sound pretty interesting don’t they? Jacobs Sheep are also on the Endangered Species List as it is estimated that fewer than 5,000 are left in the world.

This event is free and open to the public.

For further info: http://www.preserveputnam.org  or call 845-225-0300 or 845-221-2595.

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