The city of Viola, Idaho is hosting a community event on Saturday and Sunday, which includes a quilt show, fiber arts festival, dinner and barn dance. 

Over 100 quilts will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Viola Community Center, said Debbie Goetz, Grammy G’s Quilt Shop owner. There will also be local produce and craft vendors, as well as a raffle drawing.

Admission to the quilt show is free, but donations will be accepted at the door. Any money raised will go back to the local fiber industry, Goetz said.

The Grazing Hills Fiber Arts Festival features over 40 craft vendors, fiber arts workshops, a petting zoo, food trucks and live music, among other activities. The festival is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Grazing Hills Alpaca Ranch, ranch owner Katie DeWinkle said. 

There will be an alpaca shearing demonstration on Saturday and a sheep shearing demonstration on Sunday. Vendors who raise sheep, alpacas, goats and Angora rabbits will travel from Minnesota, Nevada, Montana and Seattle, she said. 

“The whole thing is like sheep-to-shawl or alpaca-to-poncho — all the steps that are involved in getting the fiber off the animal and into a finished product,” DeWinkle said. 

Admission to the fiber arts festival is free, she said. Water will be provided, and event-goers should expect to spend time walking around in the sun. No pets are allowed.

People who are planning to attend any of the 13 workshops should register online because only a few allow walk-ins, DeWinkle said. 

Event-goers can ride a horse and buggy between the ranch and community center on Saturday, Goetz said.

DeWinkle said she has hosted a fiber arts festival for three years at the ranch. This is the first year it will be paired with a community festival in Viola.

“We’re just kind of getting out there and getting our feet wet again,” Goetz said. 

From 5-9 p.m. Saturday, there will be a dinner and barn dance at the community center. Palouse Caboose Bar and Grill is catering the dinner, and The Moscow Mules will play live music, she said.

Tickets are $15 per person or $45 for four, and they can be purchased at Grammy G’s Quilt Shop in Palouse or online, Goetz said. There are a limited number of tickets available for purchase at the door, so event-goers are encouraged to purchase them in advance. 

Vaccinated individuals do not have to wear masks, Goetz said. Masks and hand sanitizer will be provided, and vendors will be spaced out to make social distancing feasible.

“It’s us wanting to get the community back and let people know it’s okay to go out and have a good time,” she said.

Grammy G’s, Palouse Caboose, Avista and Rosauers Supermarkets are sponsoring the quilt show, Goetz said.

The community center is located at 1007 Rothfork Road, and the ranch is located at 1042 Four Mile Road in Viola.