News Briefs

Alpaca Extravaganza

Hundreds of visitors from the Black Forest area and beyond attended the South Eastern Colorado Alpaca Breedersí 12th annual Alpaca Holiday Extravaganza Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, hosted by the Black Forest Community Club in Black Forest, Colorado.The free family event showcased an entire series of products made from or relating to alpacas, including fashion apparel, art and other accessories.Fifteen local alpaca farmers and artisans were on site for the two-day event.ìThis is first of all an educational opportunity,î said Peter Ziek, a founding member and current president of the SECAB. ìWe bring our alpacas and allow people to learn about them. But this is also an opportunity to show what you can do with alpacas, and purchase alpaca products that are all handmade.îIn time for the holiday shopping season, shoppers were treated to 13 stalls where they could purchase alpaca fleece products. Everything from hats, sweaters, gloves, scarves and socks to other goods like lampshades, rugs, artwork and crafts relating to alpacas was available for purchase – including the alpacas themselves.Outside the community center, breeders answered questions about their alpacas and allowed visitors to touch and interact with their animals.One educational poster board described how alpaca products are made. With fur soft as cashmere, warmer and stronger than sheepís wool, and coming in 22 natural colors, there is much that can be done with alpaca fleece.First, the animals are halter-trained, allowing their breeders to handle and lead them. On shearing day, the alpacas get their teeth trimmed to assure a correct bite, get their nails trimmed and their annual vaccinations.After it is sheared, alpaca fleece is cleaned, sorted and graded for the softest feel. Then, it is turned into goods.Black Forest resident Jamie Lujan, 23, brought her friend, Rachel Mader, 22, to check out the goods and the alpacas. It was their first time attending the event.ì(The alpacas) are so cute and all the stuff inside is so cool,î Mader said.The women fed and posed for photos with the alpacas outside as Ziek, in his own alpaca pen, spoke to several visitors about the animals.Ziek, who owns Black Forest-based Wild Hair Alpacas LLC, has been raising alpacas with his wife, Barbara, for 17 years. As a former project manager for IBM and his wife a former middle school teacher, the couple searched for ways to spend their time when they retired, Ziek said.ìWe found these animals and fell in love.îToday, they raise 100 alpacas on their 35-acre farm in the north end of Black Forest on Mountain Shadow View, just north of Hodgen Road. Barbara Ziek is also an artisan, using the alpaca fleece in her work.Peter Ziek also helped found SECAB, which provides local support and resources to new alpaca farmers.ìMost of us were new to alpacas and wanted a local support organization,î Ziek said. ìWe noticed an awful lot of us did not have someone to call to help us when we had questions about the animals. People were also having trouble selling (their alpaca products), so we put together our first event to help. We had such a great time we decided to do it again the next year, and the year after that, and so on.îThe event has grown over the last decade, now attracting more than 1,000 people and selling about five times the goods. All funds from the sales go directly to the participating farmers and artisans.But Ziek and other local alpaca farmers and artisans also see the event as a way to share their love for the animals.Indigenous to the high Andes regions of South America, alpacas are ìdomesticated versions of vicuÒas, South American ruminants that live high in the Andes,î according to a Nov. 2, 2015 article titled ìFacts About Alpacas,î written by Alina Bradford and posted on the Live Science website.Bradford states there are no wild alpacas, because the people of South America began to domesticate them about 6,000 years ago. Alpacas are used mainly for their soft wool.They breed once a year, are herbivores, and are highly social creatures.ìYou canít be depressed around alpacas.î Ziek said. ìThey are good with kids and very gentle to be around. They have very nice temperaments, and theyíre smart and inquisitive. … I try to get alpacas in front of the public as much as I can.î

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