Palmetto Alpaca Classic trots to town 3/13/2010 9:30 PM
By SUZANNE R. STONE Staff writer
NORTH AUGUSTA -- The North Augusta Hippodrome got a case of the warm fuzzies Saturday with the opening of the Palmetto Alpaca Classic.
The alpaca show opened with 211 animals on hand from small farms and ranches across the country.
The 2010 Palmetto Alpaca Classic was co-sponsored by the Alpaca Small Farms Network and by Marine Corps League Detachment 1132; proceeds from the show benefit the Marine Corps League's local charities including local NJROTC scholarships and the Augusta veterans' hospital, according to show organizer John Tolley, league member and owner of Buena Vista Alpacas of Beech Island.
"We've had the show for four years prior to this in Clemson, and this is our first year here in North Augusta. The Hippodrome is a nice facility, and I think our alpaca owners are pleased with the venue," Tolley said. "For seven years, I've noticed this facility and seen it empty a good bit of the time and thought, 'We need to get some alpacas down here.' We're competing this weekend with two other alpaca shows - one in Lexington, Va., and one in Columbus, Ohio - but we've had good response, a good crowd, and the morning went well; our vendors did very well."
The show consists of a competition for shorn fleeces and a show ring for animals on the halter; judging is 60 percent on fleeces and 40 percent on conformation - the animals' closeness to breed standards, according to ASFN President Ed Hinshaw, owner of Sea Ayre Suris of Cameron.
"I think the Hippodrome is a good venue; the stalls are good, the rings are good, as well. It's got more potential than some venues I've seen; it's got flexibility, a good populace nearby, it's easy to get to, and the management has been very accommodating," Hinshaw said.
"There are two breeds of alpaca - huacaya and suri - and we've got pretty good representation of both here. I've been in this almost seven years, and the animals we used to bring to shows three or four years ago we don't even bother to bring anymore; that's how much and how fast the breeding has improved," he said.
Several alpaca farms had vendor booths at the show, selling fleece, clothing, yarn and hand-knits.
Active-duty Marines set up a food booth and had sold out by midday Saturday, according to Tolley.
Members of the Tangled Threads Fiber Group of Augusta gave demonstrations of spinning, weaving and knitting with alpaca fiber at the show, and a table showed off the results of a spin-off with show fibers.
The Palmetto Alpaca Classic reopens for its second day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Hippodrome on U.S. Highway 1.
Admission is a donation of $1 to the Marine Corps League, which is manning the gate, and parking is free.
"The Marine Corps League looks on this as a chance to raise money for charities, and the ASFN and I see it as a chance to put North Augusta on the alpaca map," Tolley said.
Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.
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