Gwinnett Daily Post

STONE MOUNTAIN -- Everybody needs a cut every now and then, right?

That includes sheep, who have been getting their locks shaved off for the past 9,000 years.

The old-school classic cut is still a tradition for many sheep, including those that live at Stone Mountain Park.

On Sunday, a professional sheep shearer is visiting the park to trim the herd of Old English Southdown Sheep on site at the Antebellum Plantation and Farmyard.

The sheep get this cut twice a year -- once in the spring and then at the end of summer -- to keep the mammals cool through the humid months. The haircut doesn't hurt the animals, especially with electrical shearers, but a professional needs to do the job or the sheep may get scratched and nicked.

The wool collected from the shearing process can be made into clothing, blankets and insulation. It takes the shearer about two to five minutes per sheep to shear the wool into one large piece. One fleece from the sheep has enough material to make a man's suit.

At the event, the shearer will teach the guests other facts about the sheep, benefits of the shearing process and other uses of the wool.

The next sheep shearing day is July 28.