What began as a gathering for fiber artists to buy the best fleeces from sheep producers has grown into a premier event attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually. Rare breeds of sheep took center stage at the 1999 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival held May 1st and 2nd at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland. Our special guest speaker from Colonial Williamsburg, Ms. Elaine Shirley discussed the restoration of the Leicester Longwool sheep as well as other type of livestock. Another feature of the festival was the National Cotswold show gathering for the 1999 CBA. Along with our special presentations and events we featured new events as well as the usual array of demonstrations,competitions, seminars and shopping opportunities.   Supreme Champion Ewe   Supreme Champion Ram   Shepherd Award We hope that you had the opportunity to join us this year. Next year the Festival will be held on May 6th and 7th