The Wait is Over! Our Twin Lambs Officially Have Names!

We received more than 200 entries in this year’s Sheep Week naming contest. Everyone had ideas for the first lambs of the season—adorable and spunky twin girls. In the end, our guest judges came to an almost unanimous decision…

Meet…… Elaine and Shirley!

For those of you who don’t know, Elaine Shirley is the manager of our Rare Breeds Program and mama to all of our Leicester Longwools. She has delivered an estimated 470+ lambs over the past 30 years. We couldn’t think of a more fitting tribute suggested by Jo Anne Coy—our grand prize winner!

Here is Jo Anne’s entry: In honor of Elaine Shirley, CW’s shepherdess and head of the Rare Breeds Program, I suggest one twin be named Elaine and the other Shirley. Rather grown up names, but they won’t be tiny, warm, and fuzzy forever. I just think it would be a nice way of thanking Elaine for being so successful reintroducing several breeds but especially the popular Leicester Longwool sheep.

But, let’s get back to our judges. In honor of National Library Week, the staff of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library was selected to pick the winning names. Given that National Library Week is about celebrating the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians, we thought it rather fitting to give them this auspicious honor. We will add that these folks are specialists in colonial British America, the American Revolution, and the history of the Restoration of Colonial Williamsburg. If you have research questions, they’re the squad to see.

Needless to say, they were thrilled to be a part of what’s become an annual tradition. So excited was librarian Juleigh Clark, in fact, that she tailored her outfit to the occasion. As she explained, Princess Diana purchased this sheep sweater (in red) during a trip to New Zealand, and when Juleigh’s parents visited the island, they bought her one, too. That was almost 30 years ago, and she’s still rocking it!

Are you wondering if you made the list of top contenders? Here’s a look at our runner-ups!

1. Ginger and Cookie: In honor of the Raleigh Tavern Bakery, may I suggest the names Ginger and Cookie for the twin sister lambs?
2. Ramona and Beezus: How about Beezus and Ramona in honor of Beverly Cleary’s 100th birthday?
3. Polly and Poppy
4. Blueberry and Banana: My son Ethan (age 5) would like to suggest Blueberry and Banana. Regardless of their name we can’t wait to meet them next week while visiting from CT!
5. Daisy May and Petunia
6. Laverne and Shirley: All that fun and fancy free frolicking, they must be named…. Laverne & Shirley!
7. Felicity and Elizabeth: It’s not easy for me to name animals for some reason. Here ya go: Felicity and Elizabeth.
8. Chowning and Campbell: My husband and I love Williamsburg and named our two female golden retrievers Chowning and Campbell using Tavern names as our inspiration. The names are adorable for our sweet and spunky pups. We think these names would fit the baby lambs perfectly!
9. Dolley and Madison: Dolly and Madison for the former First lady.