Old English sheepdogs and their owners to come together Sunday at Lyon Farm in Yorkville

Old English sheepdogs and their owner are bound to have a doggone good time at the 18th annual SheepieFest.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Kendall County Historical Society’s Lyon Farm, 7935 Route 71, Yorkville.

Registration for the event will begin at 11 a.m. However, SheepieFest is open to everyone, even to those people who might not own an Old English sheepdog.

“If they want to see what the breed is like, you couldn’t ask for a better place to check it out,” said Missy Tarpey, who has been involved in helping put on SheepieFest for the last several years.

She has been bringing London, her 8-year-old Old English sheepdog, to the event since she was about a year and a half old.

“It’s fun to see the dogs together,” Tarpey said. “They’re excited to see each other.”

The day will feature several activities, including a costume parade at 12:30 p.m. and a silent auction. The event attracts people from all over the United States, including Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana.

SheepieFest has incorporated different themes over the years, like during the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival in 2019.

“We had a Woofstock kind of theme,” Tarpey said. “We had a photo booth for taking pictures by a VW bus.”

In what has become a tradition, a group photo will be taken at 2 p.m.

“We take a picture every year,” Tarpey said. “And then I go back and count how many dogs are in the picture.”

The event also raises donations for Midwest Old English Sheepdog Rescue.