STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Talk about dressing for the occasion!

When Hilal Ulukaya and her husband Mehmet Ulukaya decided to make their first visit to the Trailing of the Sheep Festival’s Sheep Folklife Fair, Halal didn’t just lay out the proper shoes to walk around the fair. She created sheep-themed sweaters for her husband and herself.

The couple, who live in Twin Falls where Ulukaya manages product innovation for Chobani, showed up in colorful sweaters that Hilal had adorned with puffy wool sheep—black sheep included.

“This is our first time for this, although we have come to Sun Valley for snowboarding. I made these sweaters just for this,” said Hilal.

Though it’s their first time at the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, sheep are very important in Turkey where they were raised, Hilal said: “Mehmet comes from the mountains of Turkey where they made sheep cheese.”

Thousands of people flocked to the 29th Trailing of the Sheep Festival’s Sheep Folklife Fair on Saturday, ignoring occasional sprinkles that passed through.

“Can you believe all the people!?” said Christina Healy, who showed up with Arlen Chaney.

“We were looking at the license plates on the way in and they come from all over,” added Chaney. “Maine, Wisconsin, California, Florida, Washington….”

Saturday’s sprinkles were only the second time it has rained on the Sheep Folklife Fair in more than a quarter century. The first rain, a couple years after the festival began, took place the year the festival was honoring Scottish sheepherders so it was apropos given the Scottish reputation for misty days and misty nights.

That weekend organizers moved the fair into the Community Campus.

That wouldn’t be possible today as much as the fair has grown. Dozens of vendors on Saturday hawked everything from alpaca fibers to artisan pot pies filled with lamb.

Amika Ryan, the self-proclaimed “Shepherd of Viking Sheep” from Butte, Mont., had for sale Viking rune skulls, rabbit, cow and sheep hides and dresswear fashioned from Viking sheep fibers.

“The Vikings introduced the sheep to Iceland 1,500 years ago, and they’re pain-in-the-butt sheep--tough on shepherds and dogs, very lively, very hardy,” she said. “I asked myself what I could do for work at home after my daughter was born and this seemed perfect as it’s very unique.”

David Nelson, who will be at today’s Happy Trails Closing Party in Ketchum Town Square, had a full lineup of red, green and white sheep wagon birdhouses, in addition to sheep wagon Christmas ornaments and pig and cow banks.

Nelson, born in the J.C. Fox Building when it served as Hailey’s hospital, dove headfirst into woodworking after retiring from Intermountain Gas. He started building the sheep wagon birdhouses after spotting Hailey author Julie Weston with a miniature sheep wagon during one of her book signings.

Nelson also makes birdhouses in the shape of monkeys, dogs, frogs and even Casper the Friendly Ghost, some of which he has hung in the Hailey Cemetery.

The birds don’t seem to be intimidated by hanging out in a monkey house, he said.

“We had several birds, including swallows and sparrows, move into our sheep wagon bird house in our backyard.”

COMING UP:

Gooding sheep rancher John Faulkner will trail 1,200 sheep through Ketchum as they exit the Sawtooth Mountains bound for winter grazing in the desert today at noon.

The Rev. Kathleen Bean, associate rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, will bless the flock during the parade, while historic sheep wagons, Scottish bagpipers and others make their way through town ahead of the sheep.

Also, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the HAPPY TRAILS FESTIVAL CLOSING PARTY at Ketchum Town Square will feature vendors and lunch options from the Wood River Sustainability Center and La Parilla provide lunch options.

CINDY AND GARY BRAUN will play music from the 1940s, ‘50s and 60s, including some classic country, from 10 a.m. to noon. UP A CREEK will perform from 1 to 3 p.m. The foursome features the yarn spinning tales of guitar players Raul Vandenberg and Bill Sprong, drummer Scott Seaward and bassist Jeff London.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the CHAMPIONSHIP SHEEPDOG TRIAL FINALS will be held on Buttercup Road with dogs offered bigger challenges than they’ve faced the past couple days. Cost is $5 for bikers and pedestrians, $10 for single-occupancy vehicles and $20 for two-passenger vehicles. Children under 5 are free.