New Wool Center at the Great State Fair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2026
Empire Sheep Producers Association
New Wool Center at the Great New York State Fair Invites Visitors to Spin, Weave, and Explore New York's Fiber Story
Two special hands-on events for youth and their families — Agriculture Career Day (Aug. 27) and a two-day Community Loom tapestry project (Sept. 5–6) — highlight the new $34.7 million Wool Center and Sheep Barn
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Visitors to the Great New York State Fair (Aug. 26–Sept. 7, 2026) can watch New York wool go from fleece to fabric at the new Wool Center, a hands-on hub for sheep, wool, and fiber arts run by the Empire Sheep Producers Association (ESPA) in partnership with Local Fiber Initiative (LFI). There are daily hands-on events for the public throughout the Fair – see full schedule on the State Fair website. Two events this year give kids and their families an especially easy way to participate: Agriculture Career Day on Thursday, Aug. 27, and a two-day Community Loom tapestry project on Sept. 5–6, hosted by the Hudson Valley Textile Project.
More than 25 ESPA members have registered to help staff the Wool Center this year, alongside volunteers coordinated by LFI, a fiber-arts nonprofit based in Ithaca, N.Y. that connects small-flock producers with makers and buyers across 13 Finger Lakes and Central New York counties.
“LFI is delighted to have this opportunity, and our volunteers are excited to interact with Fair visitors this summer. We are looking forward to introducing people, especially kids, to spinning, dyeing, weaving and more.” — Amy Glaser, President, Local Fiber Initiative
The Wool Center sits at the west end of Broadway, in front of the new Sheep Barn, and is open daily throughout the Fair, 10 am – 7 pm each day. Inside, visitors can watch live demonstrations of wool processing, hand spinning, rigid-heddle weaving, knitting and crochet, needle felting, punch-needle work, and natural dyeing; test their knowledge at a “Guess the Fiber” game; and browse a breed wall featuring 24 New York sheep breeds. Last year the Wool Shop sold more than 2,000 items from 22 New York vendors.
The Wool Center and Sheep Barn opened in 2025 as a single 15,000-square-foot facility — the first time the two have shared one roof — replacing a sheep barn that had collapsed in a snowstorm and a Wool Center that regularly flooded.
"The openness is great for animal health," said Barn Superintendent Jason Botsford. "And there's no doubt this will encourage more exhibitors."
Also on display this year in the Wool Center: the national award-winning all-wool ensemble made by New York's own Emilia DeLorenzo, a senior at Arlington High School in Dutchess County. Competing in the Junior Division of Make It With Wool — a national contest supported by the American Sheep Industry — Emilia's patriotic/nautical jacket and crocheted cocktail dress, crafted from 100% NYS-sourced wool, earned her a New York State first-place title, a trip to Nationals, and a top-ten overall finish, including third place in the national handwork category.
Agriculture Career Day — Thursday, Aug. 27:
Led by New York Agriculture in the Classroom (NYAITC) and the NYS Department of Labor, this Fair-wide day gives students a look at careers in the food, agriculture, and natural resource industries through an Ag Career-themed scavenger hunt for a chance to win one of two Nintendo Switches. Admission is free for students under 18 and SUNY students. At the Wool Center, the spotlight is on careers for young people in the Sheep and Wool industry in New York State:
Wooly Wonders, a 4-H club of young sheep farmers, many of whom are also budding fiber artists, will take a clean fleece all the way to a finished rug. Club members will also lead wall-art, banner, and other hands-on wool felt projects that the public can join in on. The finished pieces will be for sale in the Wool Shop as a fundraiser for the club.
Youth from Genesee Valley Wool Works - a working carding and spinning mill in Western New York dedicated to producing premium rug yarns, weaving kits, and tools made from regionally sourced wool, will be on hand to talk with visitors about careers in fiber processing and to demonstrate rug making.
Kids and their families can visit the sheep barn all day to meet young sheep farmers getting their animals ready for sheep shows that will be held later in the Fair.
Staff from the Northeast Fiber Exchange (NEFX) will be engaging with youth on an in-demand career in the industry – wool sorting and classing; and visitors can get their hands on actual sheep fleeces and see what the job involves. NEFX is an initiative of the Hudson Valley Textile Project that works in partnership with the New York Fashion Innovation Center to help connect farmers to markets across the region.
“Sheep, wool, and textile production is a great example of how many different careers and skills come together in agriculture. Agriculture Career Day gives students the opportunity to see that agriculture includes farming and so much more – it is science, technology, business, the arts, and more. We’re so excited for the Wool Center to be part of the program this year, and showcase the career opportunities it offers.” – Katie Carpenter, Director, New York Agriculture in the Classroom
Community Loom Tapestry Project — Friday–Saturday, Sept. 5–6:
Hosted by the Hudson Valley Textile Project, this two-day event invites every visitor — no experience needed — to weave a few rows into a growing “New York Cloth.” Visitors choose their yarn or unspun wool, find an open spot at the loom, and pass the shuttle with help from a volunteer weaver nearby; by the end of the Fair, the loom will hold the work of hundreds of hands.
“We want this to be the Sheep and Wool equivalent of the State Fair butter sculpture.” — Mary Jeanne Packer, Secretary-Treasurer, Empire Sheep Producers Association
The Wool Center and Sheep Barn are made possible by the support of the New York State Legislature, through a grant to ESPA from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, as part of the state's broader investment in modernizing agricultural facilities at the New York State Fairgrounds.
QUICK FACTS FOR MEDIA
• Fair dates: Aug. 26–Sept. 7, 2026 — Wool Center located at the west end of Broadway, in front of the Sheep Barn.
• New 15,000-sq.-ft. facility (2025), a $34.7 million state investment — first time the Wool Center and Sheep Barn have shared one roof.
• Run by the Empire Sheep Producers Association (ESPA) with Local Fiber Initiative (LFI); 25+ ESPA members and LFI volunteers staffing the Center.
• Daily demos: spinning, weaving, dyeing, felting, knitting/crochet, punch needle — plus a 24-sheep breed wall and the Wool Shop.
• Agriculture Career Day (led by NY Agriculture in the Classroom): Thursday, Aug. 27, with a scavenger hunt for a chance to win a Nintendo Switch.
• Community Loom tapestry project with Hudson Valley Textile Project: Friday–Saturday, Sept. 5–6, all ages, no experience needed.
• Sheep shows: Open Meat Breed – Saturday, Aug. 29, 9 am; Youth Sheep Show – Weds. Sept. 2, 10 am; Open Wool Breed Show – Sept. 6, 9 am.
Media Contacts
Mary Jeanne Packer, Secretary-Treasurer, Empire Sheep Producers Association (ESPA) —
802-236-0881, mjpacker10@gmail.com
Amy Glaser, President, Local Fiber Initiative (LFI) — 607-220-7733, crookedcreeksheepfarm@gmail.com
Terri Stramba, Local Fiber Initiative (LFI) — 724-614-8798, terristramba@gmail.com
Beth Allison, Youth Sheep Show Superintendent – 585-261-5132, sheepbeth9355@gmail.com
About ESPA
The Empire Sheep Producers Association is New York State's leading resource for everything sheep-related, working to inform consumers and educate youth and farmers on the state's sheep industry. Founded more than 50 years ago, ESPA is the New York affiliate of the American Sheep Industry Association.
www. empiresheepproducers.org | empiresheepassoc@gmail.com
About Local Fiber Initiative (LFI)
Local Fiber Initiative is an Ithaca, N.Y.-based nonprofit that provides education related to the benefits of natural fibers and connects small-flock fiber producers with regional artisans, makers, processors, and buyers across 13 Finger Lakes and Central New York counties.
www. localfiber.org
