The Kingston Sheep Dog Trials began on a private farm in the former Pittsburgh Township near Kingston, and it became an established public event when the Township took it over as part of its bi-centennial celebrations in 1988. From its humble beginnings with a handful of competitors and fewer spectators, it now attracts 7,000 people and many of the world's top trial handlers and dogs. The trial has developed a reputation for its high caliber level of competition throughout the trialing circuits across the nation and overseas.

The Kingston Sheep Dog Trials and Festival has become widely recognized as a quality event that entertains local and regional residents as well as tourists from across North America and around the globe.

Over the past several decades, the Trials have been able to present both an authentic re-creation of sheep herding at its finest and a unique collection of secondary attractions in a pastoral setting for the education and entertainment of the public.