Susan Heller has been hosting the Roxham Woolgathering on her property in St. Bernard de Lacolle, QC for the last 25 years. This charming annual event showcases talented artisans from surrounding areas and is a favorite of Haut Saint Laurent locals for its significant dose of whimsical charm.
This September 16th and 17th, 56 vendors and hundreds of visitors enjoyed coffee, pastries, wood fired pizza, as well as artisanal wares on the rambling, picturesque Heller farm.
Twenty-five years ago, the first Roxham Wool Gathering began with 12 vendors as a way to showcase the area’s talents. Susan’s aim to “not hold it in a musty town hall” was the inspiration for the setting. At this gathering, visitors are free to wander the farm and roam through the multiple buildings constructed from old barn wood. Sheep and horses dot the pastures and kids are welcome to swing from a rope in the barn and climb the treehouse. Susan grew up on a farm herself in Suffolk, England, where they always raised a few varieties of animals. When she and her husband first purchased the Roxham property 50 years ago it was as a country house and they could only keep animals that they could sell at the end of the summer—a few ducks or chickens. It is now her full-time residence with sheep, horses, chickens and sometimes pigs.
As the name “woolgathering” suggests, Sue is a passionate spinner of wool as well as multitalented craftsperson and visual artist. “The common thread is loving to use my hands,” she says. “That, and it’s probably just in my genetics. My mother was an artist.” She was originally inspired to name the event by an old meaning of a woolgathering, which was for peasant farmers to come and collect wool from the fences and hedges of landowners. Interesting to note is that some of the wool she spins for sale at the woolgathering is “found” from the alpacas and llamas at nearby Parc Safari that would otherwise be burned as waste.
In other 2017 Roxham highlights, an informative booth on the issues surrounding cross-border asylum seeking was a feature this year and a kiosk from Nali Animal Orphanage. Another novelty included a guessing game of old farm tools with a prize giveaway. Look out for the @Roxham Woolgathering on Facebook next year, as this popular local tradition is sure to continue.
