The 2018 Washington County Fiber Tour
​April 28 & 29 -- from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- free!

One of the highlights of our spring is the annual Washington County Fiber Tour -- always the last weekend in April.  This year St. Mary's on-the-Hill joins nine other farms plus the area's premier Fiber Mill in hosting Open Days at our several locations. Check out the entire Tour offering at www.washingtoncountyfibertour.org.  A photo gallery from past Fiber Tours at St. Mary's is below.

Note: The same weekend the local area is hosting the Tour of the Battenkill pro-amateur cycling race, a portion of which runs within a half-mile of the Sister's convent and farm on part of Burton Road and also on Safford Hill and Louse Hill roads at the north end of CtK. This event draws national and international cyclists to the area and is considered one of the premier paved/dirt bike races in the country.  Visitors to our farm should note that access by way of both Route 40 and Route 74 may be partially blocked Saturday morning.  Tour of the Battenkill organizers assure us that no roads will be closed, but traffic may be held while cycling groups move through the area. This event is generally over by mid-day on Saturday.

Returning in 2018 is our

Cashmere Kids

4-H Bake Sale

In addition to yummy treats
(cookies, cupcakes, cider donuts
and other special sweet treats)
there will be homemade
quiche and paleo/gluten-free baked goods
 all made by our dedicated
4-H support Team.

Sales support Cashmere Kids ​4-H projects and trips.

In the Main Tent

Directly in front of our barn area is a large canopy tent.  This is the location of our sign-in registry, sales area, demonstration areas and 4-H Moms Bake Sale.

The sales area includes an eclectic mix of wool and cashmere goods, plush cashmere goats made by a member of our extended community, Scriptorium art and cards, jellies and jam, and more.

​Demonstrations include handspinning both of wool and cashmere.  If there are goats still needing to be combed, we will also demonstrate how cashmere is harvested in the late winter/early spring.

Our Cashmere Kids 4-H youth will also bring out baby goats and puppies for petting.

Returning also this year is our 4-H Mom's Bake Sale -- with yummy treats, quiche and hot beverages.

At the Barn

In the barn you will have the opportunity for a self-guided tour, seeing our North American Cashmere bucks, does and babies, other young does and wethers, and our new Great Pyrenees puppies.

Cashmere goats are rare in the United States.  Extensive breeding in the past thirty years has produced a reputable North American Cashmere goat which combines the strengths of the robust native Spanish meat goat with imported Australian stock.  The St. Mary's herd includes an eclectic mix of long and short guard hair styles on white, black, silver and mixed colored goats. These produce fine to medium-fine, long staple cashmere in taupe, white, ecru and brown colors.

On-the-Hill farm uses Great Pyrenees dogs as livestock guardians and this spring puppies from our Dixie Belle's first whelping will be on display in the main barn. Some may already placed by Fiber Tour weekend, but those who remain will be two months old.

Out and About

Returning again this year on Saturday is Team Snazzy Goat -- Harry T. Happiness and David Delivers with their trainor, Mika Ingerman of Burlington, VT. Harry and David were bred and born at St. Mary's on-the-Hill and have been trained as a driving pair. Mika has an extensive reputation in the driving world for her work with this pair.

Check out our Cashmere Kids 4-H youth as they act as co-hosts with the Sisters during the Fiber Tour weekend.

The Sisters will also be hosting a used-book sale for the benefit of their libraries. The book sale will be in the convent refectory.

St. Mary's on-the-Hill is located adjacent to Christ the King Spiritual Life Center.  The combined properties share over 600 acres of natural and developed properties, including a 38 acre lake and hiking trails.  CtK has an extensive Healing and Spiritual Formation Center, and is the home of the Beaver Cross Camps. 

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