Are ‘ewe’ ready for wild, wooly sheep? Annual livestock parade hits downtown

Cedar City Livestock and Heritage Festival, downtown Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 25, 2014 | Photo by Leanna Bergeron, St. George News

CEDAR CITY — Cedar City’s tranquil downtown will get a little wild and wooly Saturday when the annual sheep parade herds its way down Main Street. Considered one of the most unique parades in the country, the event features 1,200 sheep following the historic Cedar Livestock Trail from Cedar Mountain to their winter home in the Cedar Valley.

Cedar City Livestock & Heritage Festival, downtown Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 25, 2014 | Photo by Leanna Bergeron, St. George News
Cedar City Livestock and Heritage Festival, downtown Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 25, 2014 | Photo by Leanna Bergeron, St. George News

The sheep parade is the highlight event for the 10th annual Cedar City Livestock and Heritage Festival, which takes place Thursday through Sunday. This annual event is a celebration of Southern Utah’s agricultural traditions and lifestyle.

“The first sheep were herded from Cedar Mountain in 1870 and have been every year since,” festival Chairman Chad Reid said. “The sight of a herd of sheep trailing down Main Street through historic downtown is an exciting glimpse of our livestock heritage and truly a spectacle not to be missed. You never know if the sheep are going to behave or not.”

Horses, wagons, antique tractors, stock dogs and historic and modern sheep camps also take part in the procession.

Cedar City Livestock & Heritage Festival, downtown Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 25, 2014 | Photo by Leanna Bergeron, St. George News
Cedar City Livestock and Heritage Festival, downtown Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 25, 2014 | Photo by Leanna Bergeron, St. George News

The parade route runs along Main Street from 200 South to 400 North.

After the parade, the tractors and sheep camps are on display the remainder of the day at the Cross Hollows Events Center, located at 11 N. Cross Hollows Drive, during the festival.

Other festival events include cowboy poetry, a Dutch oven cooking contest, a draft horse and antique tractor pull, stock dog demo, sheep camp display, quilt show, vintage auto display and a ranch rodeo.

Event details

  • What: Sheep parade for the 10th annual Cedar City Livestock and Heritage Festival
  • When: Festival: Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 22-25 | Parade: Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m.
  • Where: Main Street in Cedar City
  • More information on festival activities is available online or by calling 435-586-8132

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