Mar. 16th - Sep. 30th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Beginning Mid-March 2021
Spring & Summer Field Trips or Road Trips to the Farm
Shepherd's Cross

Sheep & Shepherd Tours begin when the lambs are born each spring here at Shepherd's Cross, an authentic working sheep farm, just north of Claremore OK on Scenic Route 66. Come to the farm and watch as the sheep peacefully graze the pastures, and rest by the still waters. The new born lambs jump for joy and frolic in the pastures.

Sheep & Shepherd Tours:
Participate in your choice of Guided or Self-Guided Tour.
Walking Tours are donation based (suggested $5 per person).
Guided Wagon Ride Tours start at $7 per person. These Tours must be pre-scheduled.

Spring Time also brings blooms in time for Bible Garden Tours. Shepherd's Cross is home to one of only a handful of Bible Gardens in the U.S.A. Over 100 plants in this garden have Biblical references.

Bible Garden Tour Options:
Participate in your choice of Guided or Self-Guided Tour.
Self-Guided Tours are donation based (suggested $5 per person).
Guided Tours can include a DIY planting activity with seasonal plants. Guided planting tours are $7 per person and must be pre-scheduled.

All Tours also include the following:
Visiting the sheep, lambs and other farm animals at the petting barn area.
Teaching Nomadic and Biblical shepherding practices.
Wool Mill Tour demonstrating combing, spinning, and weaving wool into a finished product.
The educational & interactive Farm Museum & Educational Silo.

We are open for drop by visitors Tuesday through Saturday 8:30 - 5:30. Please preschedule Field Trips for groups of twenty or more (one free leader for every 10 paid participants). Tours can proceed even in the case of inclement weather. Picnic area available; bring your lunch with you; limited seating available. Snack and beverage concessions are available on site.

Be sure to visit our Shepherd's Shop where we features a host of "woolly" and farm related items; supplies and much more! Yarn, yarn, & more yarn, all natural, many types, produced and processed on the farm. Shepherd's Cross also offers roving, batts, felting supplies, knitting needles, spinning and weaving supplies and much more.
Additionally the shop features a mission section; purchases made in this section of the store return 100% of the sale price to the indigenous people that crafted them (countries include Afghanistan, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Uganda and more).

Our farm is a Family Farm, an accredited Agritourism facility, a Made in Oklahoma Company, and is Animal Welfare Approved (pasture born & raised lamb, mutton and Dexter beef).

Heart of the Shepherd, is the non-profit 501-C3, which operates at the farm, and provides Biblically based agricultural education locally and internationally.

Contact information:
Shepherd's Cross & Heart of the Shepherd
16792 East 450 Road, Claremore, OK 74017
Dr. Diane Dickinson, President & Executive Director
SheepFarm@ShepherdsCross.com 918-342-5911
website: www.ShepherdsCross.com
Online Stores: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShepherdsCross
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShepherdsCross/

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May. 1st - Aug. 31st

Heart of the Shepherd's Intern / Apprentice Program at Shepherd's Cross

Heart of the Shepherd's internship program has been in place since 2009. Over 70 interns have participated in our program. The internship program at the farm equips students with basic farming skills and arms them with Biblical references to farming and shepherding.

The objective of the internship program is to teach an awareness of basic agriculture, develop basic agricultural skills, expose students to the many agricultural parables found in The Bible, and to teach an appreciation for historical agriculture, laced with a healthy appreciation for industrialized agriculture.

Students will learn in the same manner as an apprentice learns. Watch the shepherd, practice with the shepherd, and then do the activity unassisted.

The farm is primarily a sheep farm, with several hundred sheep; however there are many other activities on the farm and through the ministry, Heart of the Shepherd. There is a cattle herd, horses, donkeys, chickens, at least one goat, lama, alpaca, sheep dogs, barn cats, a Farm Museum, a Farm Store, hay harvest, pecan harvest, walnut harvest, walnut hulling, a wool mill, shearing school, fiber arts
retreats and classes, a Bible Garden which produces vegetables and fruit for farm use and for sale, and a Mission Shop. There is a live on site veterinarian and a veterinary care unit for the animals on the farm. Opportunities abound for learning.

Dr. Diane Dickinson, the director for the Internship Program, is an agriculturalist with a Bachelors in Agriculture, a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, and over five decades of farm and livestock experience. Following her footsteps each day is sure to include a bountiful harvest of learning.

Internships may be geared toward one of the following six areas:

1. Sheep and Shepherding Internship: this internship has a primary interest focused on shepherding. The busiest season is the spring season, with many opportunities for learning. Learn what Psalm 23 really means while being the shepherd to the pasture raised flock on the farm. Learn how to give Shepherding Tours, and work in the Farm Animal Barn.
2. Bible Gardening Internship: Learn about natural gardening for sustainability, train to be a Bible Garden Tour guide, assist with Garden related educational activities in the Farm Museum.
3. Wool Mill Internship: Learn how to process wool "green" - including washing, carding, spinning, weaving and more. Learn how to give Wool Mill tours and assist with Wool related displays in the Farm Museum.
4. Farm Museum Internship: The Farm Museum & Educational Silo is an agriculturally based museum with hands on learning activities. The museum is indoors and outdoors. Learn how to manage a museum; assist with upgrading the farm museum, be a farm museum tour guide, and learn how the Bible and agriculture are related.
5. Heart of the Shepherd Missions and Missions Shop Internship: Emphasis is on the International Mission Shop operations and fundraising. Learn how to tell the story of the nations and their needs, and how to maintain a brick and mortar gift shops.
6. General Farm & Shepherding Internship: This internship experience includes all of the previous categories, working in the fields, working with the sheep and other farm animals; assisting with the Pumpkin Festival; providing Christian, agricultural based educational tours; as well as a vast array of support farm tasks such as field and tree maintenance, harvesting, planting, cleaning & fence maintenance; assist in the Farm Animal Barn.

Interns will experience some of every segment of farm life, and are not restricted entirely to their internship emphasis. Therefore each Intern will be learning from all six categories. However their primary focus will be in their interest area. We have a saying "Every day is a new day on the farm." Be ready to be flexible. Nature is unpredictable.

Steps of the application process:
1. Submit a Resume
2. Receive an Internship application & return the completed form to our office.
3. Reference checks
4. Personal interview
5. Background Check

Internships are for one semester. Generally the times are as follows:
Spring Semester January - May
Summer Semester May - Mid-Aug or Early Sept.
Fall Semester Early September - December

Activities of farm life change with the seasons.
The spring semester is the busiest sheep season to intern, as this is lambing season and sheep shearing on the farm. This is also haying season.
The summer semester is the busiest Bible Garden season to intern, as this is harvest season.
The fall semester is a busy evangelism outreach with the Pumpkin Festival and Living Nativity. This is also pecan and walnut harvest season and haying season.

Following successful completion of the Internship, the student may apply for the Residency Program. The Residency Program allows the student to remain at the farm for one complete calendar year, experiencing all of the activities of a farm year. This is beneficial in terms of understanding seed time and harvest, and the Biblical Implications.

Experience is advantageous, but not required.

Internships are full or part time. Compensation for internships may include room, board and a monthly monetary stipend. The stipend is not a salary, and it is performance based.

College credit can be given for our internship program. We have worked with many colleges within and outside of the state.

Interns have come from New Hampshire, California, Colorado, Kansas, South Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, New York, Kyrgyzstan and Oklahoma.

Several graduate interns have been hired to be a part of the Shepherd's Cross and Heart of the Shepherd team.

For more information about the farm, drop by and talk to Dr. D or visit the website at www.ShepherdsCross.com.

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May. 1st - Aug. 9th

Topgolf Summer Academy

Our Summer Academy is five days of non-stop entertainment and learning that kids will love. This program includes all of the components that make up the great game of golf. From chipping, putting and full swing, to the rules and etiquette, kids will learn everything they need to know to improve their game.

Each Academy is designed and taught by our golf professionals from Topgolf Coach in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Summer Academy is staffed with a low student-to-instructor ratio to ensure each Junior Golfer receives in-depth, hands-on attention while he or she develops a winning golf swing.
Academy Details

Who: Children ages 6-12
When: 9:00AM - 12:00PM | Mon. - Fri.
Select your venue for exact dates.
Cost: $199
Attire: Please dress comfortably for the weather and wear flat, closed-toe shoes.
No golf spikes, please.

Daily Schedule

Child Drop Off: 8:30AM - 9:00AM
Academy Begins: 9:00AM
Lunch: 11:00AM - 11:30AM
Please let us know at registration if your child has any food allergies.
Child Pick Up: 12:00PM - 12:15PM

What's Included

Entry into the Academy
Topgolf Game Play and Golf Instruction
Lunch (Individually packaged for safety)
Topgolf Gifts
Certificate of Completion

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Jun. 19th - Aug. 8th

June 19 - - Aug 8, 2021 (7 weeks except the Independent Day weekend)
1:30 pm Instrument class
2:30 pm Interactive Music Fundamentals
Saturday: Western instruments - Violin, Cello, Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Piano
Sunday: Chinese instruments - Erhu, Dizi, Pipa, Yangqin, Liuqin, Ruan, Sheng, Suona
Student Age: 7-14; Residency: San Francisco Bay Area
No age, date, instrument, and residency restrictions for one-on-one tuition lessons

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Aug. 12th - 14th

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

What: Fiber Fest Weekend Retreat

When: August 12, 13 & 14, 2021 - Thursday, Friday, & Saturday 8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Where: Shepherd's Cross 16792 East 450 Road, Claremore, OK 74017

This is three fun filled days of learning how to process any kind of fiber (we teach with wool). This Class combines all of our three single day workshops into one super fiber weekend. Lessons will include washing, dying, wet felting, carding, picking, spindling, spinning, needle felting and weaving. Class size is limited (minimum of two and maximum of twenty) so enroll early as possible. Our classes go a step farther - we teach some history of fiber arts, and practical technology. Retreats are augmented by hands on learning tools available in the Educational Farm Museum and with a collection of fiber arts from around the world.

Retreat fee is only $179 (all three days), a $43 savings compared to taking individual classes. Any Single Day of the Retreat is available for $74 per day. We provide all materials. No hidden fees, rental fees or materials fees. All are included in the package. Each participant will take home several finished products. We provide beverages at breaks (twice daily). You will need to bring a sack lunch each day.

Shepherd's Cross offers these and other virtual or onsite classes year round, on an individual or group basis. Shepherd's Cross is an accredited Agritourism facility, a Made in Oklahoma Company that processes the only Animal Welfare Approved fiber sold in the U.S. (that is chemical free, hormone free, free range, all natural). Shepherd's Cross hosts a mini wool mill, processing the wool from their own sheep raised on site.

Heart of the Shepherd, is a non-profit organization (501-C3) that operates at the farm and establishes wool mills in remote, impoverished areas around the world. Heart of the Shepherd teaches Biblical references to the harvest, the animals, farming and gardening. The Bible Garden is available for self-guided tours; audio or visual or both.

Shepherd's Shop is open Tuesday through Saturday 8:30 - 5:30, year round (closed some holidays).

Registration is required. You can find information and registration form at: https://www.shepherdscross.com/, click on "Classes and Retreats" or call 918-342-5911

Facebook link for more information: www.facebook.com/ShepherdsCross/

Contact:
Shepherd's Cross & Heart of the Shepherd
Dr. Diane Dickinson
farm@shepherdscross.com
918-342-5911

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Aug. 28th

Small Ruminant
Animal Husbandry & Herd Health Class
Saturday, August 28, 2021
8:30 am- 4:30 pm


Come on down to the farm to learn how to care for Small Ruminants such as sheep, goats, alpacas and llamas. Class includes instruction, handouts, videos, tutorials and hands on experience. The primary instructor for the class is Dr. Diane Dickinson, a licensed veterinarian and an agriculturalist, with over 35 years of livestock and farming experience. Her unique perspective of animal husbandry care includes that of a producer, a veterinarian, a small flock & herd owner. She also shares her experiences in global agriculture, Biblical agriculture, sustainable living, natural production, agritourism and niche markets.

The Dickinsons have owned and operated Shepherd's Cross, a working sheep farm for over twenty-five years. Their livestock include sheep, cattle, alpacas, lamas, donkeys, horses & poultry. The farm is Animal Welfare Approved. The livestock are pasture raised and pasture fed.

Class Topics Include
Vaccinations Feet Trimming
Tail docking Bloodless castration
Managing pasture & Feeding Parasites & Worms
Practical profitable flock herd health for working shepherds FAMACHA
Sheep, goats, alpacas & others Lambing & birthing
Neonatal care - lambs, kids & others Tubing
Wool management AWA
Shearing

Classes are limited to 20 participants, and fill quickly. Beverages are provided at breaks. Bring your lunch.
Cost is $79.00 per person, $149.00 for 2 family members, or $199.00 for the entire family (age 16 & over).
During these troubled time small flocks provide stability for our families, communities and the nation. You can purchase your sheep starter flock locally at Shepherd's Cross.

Registration Information
Registration is required. You can find information and registration form at: https://shepherdscross.com/
click on "Classes and Retreats" or call 918-342-5911.

Facebook link for more information: www.facebook.com/ShepherdsCross/

Contact:
Shepherd's Cross & Heart of the Shepherd
Dr. Diane Dickinson
farm@shepherdscross.com
918-342-5911
16792 East 450 Road, Claremore, OK 74017

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Sep. 9th - 11th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shepherd's Cross
Advanced Weaving Retreats - 201 & 301

Weaving 201: September 9 & 10, 2021, Thursday & Friday
Weaving 301: September 9, 10 & 11, 2021, Thursday, Friday & Saturday

8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Weaving 201 is a two day class. You will learn to weave on a harnessed table loom. Cost is $133 fiber included, and you will leave with at least one finished product, such as a table runner.

Weaving 301 is a three day class. You will learn to weave on a harnessed floor loom. Cost is $233 fiber included and you will leave with at least one finished product, such as a table runner or a scarf.

Come on out to Shepherd's Cross for a Weaving Class. Or you can choose to attend virtually through the internet. (No hidden fees, rental fees or materials fees.) You may bring your own loom or use one of ours at no additional charge. You will learn to warp and to weave, completing a sampler scarf or table runner to take home. We are open until 5:30 pm each day, and you are welcome to stay and practice or work on your project.

This class is offered as a group in February & September each year; or as private lessons throughout the year. Please bring a lunch each day; a microwave is available. There is a class size minimum of two, and a maximum of 6 participants. Our classes go a degree farther than most, and teach some history of fiber arts, and practical technology. As well as being augmented by hands on learning tools available in the Educational Farm Museum.

This retreat is held at Shepherd's Cross, an authentic working farm, just north of Claremore OK on Scenic Route 66. Shepherd's Cross hosts a mini wool mill, processing the wool from their flock. There is also Shepherd's Shop, a quaint country gift shop. It features a host of festive handmade and farm related gifts and wares from many gifted artisans. The Gift Shop and Museum are open weekly Tuesday through Saturday 8:30 am - 5:30 pm.

Shepherd's Cross is an accredited Agritourism facility, a Made in Oklahoma Company. Shepherd's Cross is also Animal Welfare Approved Sheep Farm, and processes Animal Welfare Approved fiber (chemical free, hormone free, free range, natural). Shepherd's Cross is home to Heart of the Shepherd, a non-profit organization (501-C3) that operates at the farm and establishes wool mills in remote, impoverished areas around the world. As well as teaching Biblical references to the harvest, the animals, farming and gardening.

For more information go to https://www.shepherdscross.com/weaving-classes.html, https://www.shepherdscross.com/table-loom-weaving.html,
https://www.shepherdscross.com/floom-loom-weaving.html, or you can check us out on: facebook.com/ShepherdsCross.


Contact:
Shepherd's Cross & Heart of the Shepherd
Dr. Diane Dickinson, President & Director
sheepfarm@shepherdscross.com
918-342-5911
16792 East 450 Road, Claremore, OK 74017
www.ShepherdsCross.com

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