Alpacas and Obstacles Itinerary
The Drive from Baltimore or D.C.
From D.C. to the Howard Country Fairgrounds it is about an hour and twenty minute drive. Choose your preferred route to 95 North. Take Exit 38B onto MD-32 West towards Columbia. Follow MD-32 West to MD-144 West and turn left. Turn right onto Fairgrounds Road.
From Baltimore it takes about 40 minutes depending on traffic. Take your preferred route out of town to 95 South. Take Exit 38B onto MD-32 West and follow directions above to the fairgrounds.
CONSIDERATIONS
- Wear comfortable clothing that you don’t mind getting muddy or dirty.
- Bring cash, a lot of vendors do take credit cards but some do not.
- These type of events are the epitome of buying local. Think gifts!
- Keep an eye on country fairgrounds as these kinds events happen all year.
- Historic Savage Mill is a great spot for lunch or dinner.
Chesapeake Fibershed
We have all heard the term “watershed”- especially in the context of the conservation of the Chesapeake Bay.
Fibershed is a similar concept, for fiber. Rebecca Burgess wrote a book in 2019, Fibershed: Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy. Think farm to closet, but with building community and and an eye on climate impacts.
Since the publication of the book, and even a little before the “fibershed” movement took off, there were numerous small farmers and makers building local “fibersheds” and thus we find our very own Chesapeake Fibershed.
As a biologist and a weaver, this concept resonated deeply. I plan to participate in the sustainable cloth challenge, only limiting factor is time.
Check them out, and support them if you have an interest.
Attention yarn lovers, there is a MONTHLY studio tour in Central Maryland where you can visit between 5-7 studios where the yarn is hands-on and hand-dyed.
It is called the Fiber Arts Studio Tour and they are prominent on FaceBook and Instagram.
I have done the tour twice, and brought home some of the most luscious yarn. Plus, I get to meet the yarn makers and their animals.
I try as much as possible to buy my yarn locally because I believe in supporting small business, and, more importantly, it’s the community around the process that enriches that whole maker experience.
