DIXON, CA (MPG) - The 37^th annual Lambtown Festival, that is set this year for October 7 and 8 at the Dixon May Fair, has received a notice that a major sponsor has filed for bankruptcy, but the event in Dixon is still on.

“We were saddened and disappointed to hear the news of the abrupt closure of XRX, Inc., the parent company of Stitches Events,” said LT organizer Roy Clemes, who empathized with the vendors who have already paid for future events that will not happen, and with instructors who will not be paid for their work. In conversations as recent as March, XRX had promised to sponsor Lambtown Festival to the tune of several thousand dollars.

“This mostly affected the larger shows in northern California and was mostly the knitting and crocheting side of things but was, in a minor way, some financial support,” explained Clemes. “We want to encourage our vendors to be realistic in their expectations about attendance.” He said the show in the Bay Area drew 10,000 but the Sacramento (Dixon) show is about 3,000.

“We know that the loss of Stitches West has already and will continue to impact the Lambtown Festival community, namely the instructors, vendors, and attendees in Northern California and beyond,” he said. While they are already deep into planning for this year’s festival, they are expanding this year’s offering of workshops and increasing their number of vendors to help mitigate the negative impacts of the XRX bankruptcy.

“By making our Lambtown Festival an even larger and more vibrant event, our returning vendors will see a benefit from this growth as well. People are asking me how can we help those affected by the XRX debacle? Of course, sales always help, and will begin to replace some of the lost funds and future income.”

Below is a list of those vendors who attended both Lambtown Festival and Stitches West last year. There are also non-monetary methods of support such as liking, following, and subscribing on social media, and signing up for newsletters.

“Make sure you have October 7 and 8 circled on your calendar with workshops starting October 5, and make sure all of your fiber friends and family have it circled on theirs, too,” he reminded. “In the long run, it will make us a better show because we opened up 20 new spots after they closed and have drawn vendors who actually have a broader reach.”

The list of Lambtown Festival vendors impacted by Stitches/XRX Inc. bankruptcy are: A hundred Ravens, A Needle Runs Through It, Bead Biz, Busy Stix, Carpool, Clemes and Clemes, Greenwood Fiberworks, Invictus Yarns, Kimonomomo, Kira K Designs, Knit This, Purl That, Lickin’ Flames, Lisa Souza, Seismic Yarn & Dyeworks, Sincere Sheep, Stitch Sisterz, The Royal Bee Yan Company, and Wonderland Dyeworks.

Make new fiber friends and help Lambtown Festival thrive! Dixon’s homegrown, non-profit fiber festival is California’s largest sheep and wool event, but it wouldn’t happen without a legion of volunteers.

Volunteers at Lambtown are needed at the event as well as throughout the year and there is a form online to complete if you can help. For more information, contact Lambtown Festival, 650 San Pablo Ave., Pinole, CA 94564 or email Clemes:  [email protected].