My Origin Story
By Stubbs - Official Mascot of the Northern Michigan Fiber Festival
It was a cold and damp and windy Saturday in June at the Alpena Farmer’s Market. All the people were
wearing coats and trying to stay warm. (I don’t worry about that kind of thing with my fleece!) My shepherd lady went up to the booth to talk about some yarn or something. She wanted to give it away. Must not have been good quality wool like mine, huh? Why else give away yarn?!!? She asked the ladies at the Fiber Festival booth for some ideas.
Fiber Festival? Is that roughage – ya know - like to forage? I like to forage, maybe have some good quality hay. Clover is nice. Helps fill up my stomachs. Important when you have four! I can get behind this idea of a fiber festival, big time.
So, the ladies talk. Yak, yak, yak. You know how it goes. And I don’t mind yaks. Yaks are ruminants too. But the next thing ya know, my shepherd lady is talking about ME!
She tells them she is going to be relocating and has to leave me behind. Baa-aa? Baa-aa! I’m sad to hear this! But sure enough, the next thing I know, some lady grabs me and puts me in this trunk thingy with wheels and off we go.
True, I had some issues. I had a gimpy hind leg and my hooves maybe needed some trimming. Now I’m not throwin’ shade here on my shepherd lady. She’s always been good to me. It’s just that I’m getting older – aren’t we all? So don’t go all Bo-Peep on me. It’s all good.
So, this other lady, she starts poking and prodding and has a pair of scissors and, well – things get kinda fuzzy and fleecy here – baa - baa – whaaa - I’m waking up - wha’ happened? Well, let me tell ya! My gimpy leg is like gnu! (Ha ha – get it? Like gnu – another ruminant! I really crack myself up!) So anyway, my leg is like new and my hooves are all trimmed and snazzy and my fleece is fluffy white. But then the lady sticks a sunflower behind my ear. Duuude – I’m a ram! We eat flowers, not wear them!
But she tells me my name is Stubbs and that I am the new Mascot for the Northern Michigan Fiber Festival. Stubbs? Why? A Mascot? What’s that? But before I can catch my breath, she tells me I am going on a virtual tour! What’s a tour? For that matter, what is a virtual? But I don’t have time to ask her, ‘cuz next thing you know I am standing on a blanket and these flashing lights are going off and I still have that flower tucked in my ear and I am dazzled!
So, here I am, and now I see that this is where I am meant to be. In the Spot.Light! On.The.Green.Carpet! I mean, seriously, isn’t it obvious I’m meant to be a star? I don’t know exactly what a Mascot is or why I am named Stubbs, either, but I know – I just know - I’ve found my place. I hope it is your place too!
Welcome to the Northern Michigan Fiber Festival!!
Stubb's Alternate Story
We were promoting the Fiber Festival at Alpena Farmer’s Market - Artisan and Vintage event in June. It was cold and windy. Jeannine Boyce of Ossineke stopped and asked us about where to donate some yarn, as she and her husband were going to be permanently relocating away from the area. As the conversation ensued, she mentioned that she had a sheep that was made for her by a friend many years ago that needed some TLC. We agreed that we would take a look. Jeannine made a special trip back to her house and returned with the sheep. One of the legs on the inside frame was out of place and all of the leg dowels were poking through the hoofs. The fleece was felting in places and had bits of debris in it from being in storage. One of our members agreed to try to fix it up, and this is the result. Meet Stubbs!
Jeannine told us that her friend’s name is Lynn Spitznagel and she lived in Northport, Michigan at the time (near Traverse City). Lynn is a weaver and wove to help put her husband through divinity school. Jeannine also has a cat that Lynn wove for her which is at the condo in South Carolina where the Boyces will now live full time.
We don’t know much beyond that, except when fixing it up, it was clear that this was made with hand-woven fabric including not just the face, ears, and legs, but also the entire torso. The fleece has been sewn onto the woven fabric in strips and is still securely in place. The bottoms of the legs were past restoration and had to be covered up with sewn-on hooves. And Stubbs had to be opened up and the internal frame re-glued.
We sincerely thank Jeannine Boyce for donating Stubbs to us and thank Lynn Spitnagel, too. If anyone knows of her or where she may live now, we would love to hear from you.
As far as the name Stubbs, we are keeping that a mystery - for now!
THANK YOU, JEANNINE BOYCE OF OSSINEKE, FOR DONATING STUBBS!