WESTMINSTER, Md. — Alpacas are naturally social animals; they like to travel in herds for safety because, let's face it, spitting and kicking will only get you so far out there. And this weekend, it's one of the biggest parties on an alpaca's social calendar, and everyone's invited.
"Well, I hope we get a lot [of people] because it's free to the public so we want people to come!" Carole Rost told WMAR-2 News.
Carole Rost is the president of an organization we bet you didn't know existed - the Mid-Atlantic Alpaca Association. Every year, she and other regional alpaca farm owners gather at the Carroll County Agricultural Center to show off their stock, compete for best in show, and make new friends. Alpaca owners are about as social as the animals they breed.
"50% of our enjoyment in raising the alpacas is networking with the people," Dr. Anthony Stachowski, who owns an alpaca farm in Ohio, said on Friday as he prepared for the big event.
But don't let their friendly nature fool you - they're here to win.
"We're a competitive family that likes to get in the ring and kick other people's butt," Stachowski told WMAR-2 News, laughing.
Stachowski was one of the very first private citizens in the U.S. to ever own an alpaca, back in 1984. Before that, alpacas were perhaps South America's best-kept secret.
"I’d never seen them in my life before," Stachowski recalled, even after he'd made the decision to purchase them.
It was previously illegal to export alpacas due to foot-mouth disease concerns. When they gradually started trickling over to the U.S., after a strict 90-day quarantine, which Stachowski took part in on an island off Key West, they were extremely pricey.
"We were averaging then between 30 and $40,000," Stachowski said.
In fact, his second-ever customer was Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's wife. The animal didn't become accessible to the average American until after the recession in '08.
Although the event this weekend is free, some of the alpacas are for sale. They can range in price, from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Show alpacas still cost a pretty penny; Stachowksi is selling them for between $8,000-$20,000.
Of course, they're most famous for their fleece, and that's the main trait they'll get judged on this weekend. If you're in the market for some fluffy alpaca fashions, plenty of artisans and vendors are selling their wares this weekend too.
"We shear them every year. Why do we shear them? Well, because we can sell the fleece but even more important than that, we shear them because they get too warm with their alpaca fleece in the summertime," Stachowski said.
Below is an event description from the Mid-Atlantic Alpaca Association:
Alpacas will be featured in the show ring competition, comprised of classes judging conformation and fleece quality in many categories for both Suri and Huacaya alpacas.
Throughout the weekend, artisans will showcase alpaca fiber and examples of felting, fiber arts and more. Vendors and farm displays will sell the latest alpaca fashions and hand-crafted items.
Alpaca Costume Contest & Youth Competition
Don’t miss your opportunity to witness an extremely unique (yet adorable) competition on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Participants will strut their stuff in the show ring with their costumed alpaca. Costumes will be judged on the comfort of the animal with foreign objects on their head, legs and feet, and how imaginative the costume is as well as the story each participant must write a narrative about the costume.
The fun continues on Saturday throughout the day when young participants take to the ring to compete in showmanship and obstacle classes.
The event at the Carroll County Agricultural Center is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.