Mager Mountain Alpacas Open House

On September 25th & 26th, alpaca breeders from across the united States and Canada will invite the public to come to farm or ranch to meet their alpacas and learn more about these inquisitive, unique animals.  From 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.,” Mager Mountain Alpacas” of Little Valley along with “ A Slice of Heaven Alpacas” of Little Valley and “naturally Alpacas of Toronto, Canada will welcome guests to join them for many activities including cria (new babies) watching, spinning demonstrations, introduction to new products as well as business and tax information offered, all FREE.  Featured speaker will be Cathie Bridges, COP of R.A. Mercer & Co. PC starting Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

“Smitty” of WGWE radio will be doing a remote broadcast from the farm Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Play Plinko  for free give away and balloons.  Sign up for a free drawing on a “PronkBear” tm alpaca  teddy bear and other alpaca items.

Spinning demonstrations and other fiber arts activities will be going on all weekend.

Hot Dogs and refreshments available with proceeds to be donated to The Smile Train charity.

About Alpacas

Alpacas cousin to the llama, are beautiful, intelligent animals native to the Andean Mountain range of South America, particularly Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.  The United States first commercially imported alpacas in 1984. There are now over 150,000 ARI (Alpaca Registry, Inc.) Registered alpaca in North America.

There are two types of alpacas in the United States today.  Although almost physically identical,

what distinguishes the two types of alpacas is their fiber.   The Huacaya (wa-Ki”-ah) is the more common of the two and has a fluffy, extremely fine coat.  The Suri is the rarer of the two and has fiber that is silky and resembles pencil-locks.

Adult alpacas stand at approximately 36 inches at the withers and generally weigh between 150 and 200 pounds.  They do not have horns, hooves, claws or incisors.  Alpacas are alert, intelligent, curious and predictable.  Social animals that seek companionship, they communicate most commonly by softly humming.

About Alpaca Fiber

Alpacas are shorn, without harm, every twelve to eighteen months.  They produced five to ten pounds of luxurious fiber.  Long ago, alpaca fiber was reserved for royalty.  Today it is purchased in its raw fleece form by hand-spinners and fiber artists.  Knitters buy it as yarn.

Because of its soft texture, alpaca fiber is sometimes compared to cashmere.  Making the fiber even more coveted, it has the luster of silk.  Alpaca is just as warm as, yet 1/3 the weight of wool.  It comes in 22 natural colors, yet can be dyed any desired shade. 

Containing no lanolin, alpaca fiber is also naturally hypo-allergenic.  Most people who are sensitive to wool find that they can wear alpaca without the itching or irritation they feel from water repellency, and odor reduction.  For travelers, clothing made from alpaca is desirable because it is wrinkle-resistant.

Come see why Alpaca farming is the fastest growing Agri-business in the county.  Mager Mountain Alpacas, Rt 353, 69 Mountain View Drive, Little Valley, NY 14755