Join our sheep for their annual parade through downtown this Monday, Sept. 2.

Fort Saskatchewan’s sheep hold their farewell for the season parade that day starting at 11 a.m.. The parade starts on 100 Avenue at Legacy Park, heading along the old main street to 104 Street, north to 101 Avenue and then back to the museum, ending at the corral next to the mounted police fort.

Everyone is invited to spend some time with the sheep following the parade. The sheep leave town following the parade, not to return until next spring.

The sheep first came to town in 1991 at the suggestion of then parks supervisor Don Seimens. He needed a way of controlling weeds and grass in the former jail lands and brought in several hundred sheep instead of hiring more staff and purchasing extra lawn mowing equipment.

The sheep proved so popular that the program was turned over to the Economic Development Department. Today, about 50 sheep are brought to town each summer.

Marc and Natasja Steinbusch and daughters Pien and Anke took over the job of shepherding the sheep in 2021, replacing the original shepherds Kathy and Ralph Playdon.