KIRTLAND, Ohio — Some animals with natural fur coats need a little help getting set for summer at Lake Metroparks Farmpark.
Steve Ohmes is a master sheep stylist at the park.
“I don’t pull on the wool, ‘cause if I pull on the wool, it pulls their skin up and I might get it,” said Ohmes, the assistant Farmpark administrator.
He helps shave the wool off about 45 sheep at the park and he’s learned some tricks over the years.
“What we try to do is keep their feet off the ground, that way they don’t think they can get away and usually they’ll sit,” Ohmes said. “We do have some that will kind of fight a little more than others.”
He said it takes some special training and talent to sheer sheep, plus the willingness to just give it a try.
COVID-19 canceled the public shearing event last year but from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday folks are welcome to join the flock.
It’s an opportunity to learn where wool comes from and see how that wool is turned into yarn.
Two rainbow-colored sheep on-site will provide a more colorful representation of the process.
“That is not a natural color,” said Christina Bellas, head of the Education and Interpretation Department at the park, with a laugh. “We had some amazing co-workers that got food coloring and vinegar.”
She said it’s safe for the animals.
The annual event is also meant to show that shearing is painless despite some occasional squirming from the sheep.
“It’s just like if you take a younger child to the barber,” Ohmes said. “You know they’re gonna squirm a little more than, you know, us that knows what’s going on already.”
He said not to worry about giving them a sloppy shave. The sheep won’t mind.
“I would think this has to feel good,” Ohmes said.
The process is done every May in the park.
“If we didn’t remove it in the summer they would overheat,” Ohmes said. “It’s like having a big sweater on. So, we’re just taking it off by the summer and by winter and fall it will grow back.”
Folks who attend the weekend event can even try shearing sheep themselves.
For more information about Sheep Shearing Weekend, click here to visit the Lake Metroparks Farmpark.
