Llama festival

[Enzo]

It's lamafest 2006

Their spelling, not mine.



I'll try to attend and repport back

Alpaca smuch information as I can into it.

But don't take my word for it:

www.lamafest.com

[St. Jimmy]

My friend Sam M. is going to Llamafest 2006. He owns two Llamas, which is pretty cool.

[Lance]

Their spelling, not mine.

Lama is the genus, and includes the species Llama, Alpaca and Guanaco.

[pmcolt]

I always thought Lama glama was a funny name. But the llamas don't seem to mind.

[hippietrekx]

My friend Sam M. is going to Llamafest 2006. He owns two Llamas, which is pretty cool.

I saw those llamas at the county fair. They'd just had their fur harvested by a combine (not really) so they were bald and scrawny.

[Enzo]

That llama don't look like no genus. If he so smart, how come he let them shave his ass? That genus claim sounds species-us to me.

[Мастер]

That llama don't look like no genus. If he so smart, how come he let them shave his ass? That genus claim sounds species-us to me.

:P

[Enzo]

Well, I'm Guanaco in about a half hour.




Guanaco - sounds like some giant fertilizer consortium.

[Enzo]

Well, here's the report.

BANG!

COuldn't resist.

I went to the Lamafest. Saw lots of llamas, and some alpacas. If there were any guanacos there, I didn't see them, nor vicunas.

The MSU livestock pavilion is huge. The exhibit area is row after row of llama pens. Llama heads poking up over the siding. SOme would look you over, and some couldn't be bothered. And some turned and walked to the other side of the pen. The snoots. I went up and down a few rows, but after a while a llama is a llama. People from all over for this show. A lot from Virginia. Various llamas had their ribbons and awards. There are some serious blue ribbons. Like four feet long.

There was also the arena, the judging area with grandstands. I watched them judge llamas for a while. Each grouping - "class 36 report to the arena, class 10 will be judged in 5 mijnutes, anyone in class 10 should be in the arena now." - would line up in the judging corral, then one at a time walk corner to corner while a elderly lady Judged them. She stood in the center and watched oh so intently as they walked towards her and then sh turned as they passed and stared at their hind ends. All this with the exagerated seriousness of a dog show, or maybe the US MArines. Although in her defense she never put on the MArine pout.

I saw a little corral off to the side with a few llamas inside, each held on a lead by the owner. I assumed it was like the on deck circle until I got there to read the sign that said "Poop Pile." I have to grant that ther was surprising little llama poop on the floors, even though they were being led around to and from their pens. Apparently they are poop pile broken. There was plenty in that area.

As with most of this sort of thing, the people there are the real show. There were lots of "horse girls" there. That is my name for those girls not quite done with puberty who are REEEEAAALLY into horses. Except these were llama girls.

I saw one llama girl walking her llama back to the pen and noted she had on typical ranch wear. COwboy boots, jeans, t-shirt, vest, hat, and for some odd reason a pair of large feathered wings sticking out from her back. Beats me.

When I was in the arena, I spotted a tour group touring the place. ABout 40 people following a guide from place to place. I never saw them examine the poop pile, but I am sure it would have been fascinating. But the guide would walk over to something and like a school of fish, 40 interested souls walked as one swiftly to follow. After a moment of spiel, she walked briskly over to something else, and vooom, they followed smartly behind. They may have been tied together at the waist for all I know, remarkable motion in unison. Perhaps synchronized touring will become an olympic sport.

The whole place smelled like animal. Smelled like a horse barn I guess, not stinky really, just very earthy and vegetal and well... animal. Not unpleasant.

I left before the tour herd examined me over in the stands. "Now here we have an aging hippie..." WOulda made their day, I bet.

SOme of the exhibitors just had their names or the names of their farms, but there were some that struck me. The llamaniacs. ANd the Wooly Women of Mid-Michigan.

I didn't stay for the auction, but they were going to sell off quite a few, some at substantial prices.

One aisle was vendors. Some sold llama supplies - llama soap, llama feed, bridles and leads, llama blankets. But there were a lot of people products too. Hats, shawls, hand bags, afghans, etc made from llama wool. There were decoratiev llama items - a lawn llama, llama doorknocker, llama welcome sign, artistic llama creations and sculptures. One lady had written a couple alpaca books for kids. ALice the Alpaca does Dallas or something. You could buy the book and have it autographed by the author while you wait.

I didn't get anything, nothing was funny enough.

If there had been a llama roast, I'd have tried it, I guess.

One lady we've seen before has her sign up for such and such llama farms, and on her table she sells...... chocolate sauce. I don't get it either. But if you and your llama are enjoying some nice ice cream, I guess it would be great.

APparently there is a costumed llama competition, because there were some dressed up in odd costumes. SOme looking liek an Andean festival float or some such. Multicolored ribbons and sashes adorn the thing, a hat of course, pretty blanket draped over, hanging things from the shoulders - for all the world japanses paper lanterns. One had a like table top - a flat small stage atop his back, and on it was a plush stuffed bunny of some sort. MAybe it represents a traditional fable or something, but tres weird.

Everyone had their kids, and many photos of dubious child next to llama were being snapped. "C'mon sweetie, it won't bite, just smile for daddy."

At one point I saw a two-man llama costume walking down the aisle in tow by a llama-girl. Looked like a horse costume at halloween - gray felt, worn old straw hat. Then when I got next to it I saw giant brown eyes looking out the eyeholes. It was a llama in a llama costume. Ooooo-K.

According to the llama brochure, the poop looks like black jelly beans. I suppose I have to agree with this delightful imagery.

Baby llamas are called "crias."

They don't have hooves, just two big fleshy toes. I noticed right away.

DO llamas spit? You bet they do. "BUt it is easy to wipe away and forget as opposed to a bite or hoofed kick." Says so right in the booklet. I feel better about it already.

[Lance]

If I had known about this a couple of days earlier I think Cyndi and I would have come. Is it every year?

[Мастер]

Did Steve Ir' ever do a show on llamas?

[Dragon Star]

He did have them on the show, but it wasn't an entire show dedicated to Llamas themselves I don't think...

[Enzo]

Crikey. lookit the fur on this one. Byoootiful soft llama fur.


beats me if it is annual. But it sounds like this was the 14th annual, so maybe it is. I am sure there are plenty shows around the country. MSU is a major agricultural school, so it might be more appropriate than say Wayne State Univ in downtown Detroit

I'd say contact the ALSA and see what is going on.

There was also some sort of horse show at the same facility in other areas at the same time.

From the web site:

More than 250 llamas and alpacas will be coming to the pavilion on the campus of Michigan State University for the 14th annual Lamafest Show and Sale. Free admission and parking make this a wonderful treat for a Labor Day weekend family outing.
The show starts at 8:30 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday and runs until the competition schedule is completed each day, ending on Sunday afternoon.

In the show arena you can see some of the finest llamas and alpacas from michigan and surrounding states in action. The animals will be judged for conformation, and performance. There will be cart pulling, pack and obstacle courses, public relations, costume, and showmanship competitions. The show is sanctioned by the Alpaca and Llama Show Association (ALSA).

[/quote]

[Heid the Ba]

The show is sanctioned by the Alpaca and Llama Show Association (ALSA).

Who would consider going to an unsanctioned llama show? Or are there competing llama show sanctioning bodies? We're not the ALSA, we're the Association of Alpaca and Llama Showers!

[umop ap!sdn]

According to the llama brochure, the poop looks like black jelly beans.

Who wrote that brochure! I used to lurve licorice flavored Jelly Bellys. Now I don't know if I'll ever be able to block that thought from my head. Bastiges. :(

[Enzo]

Well, there are always the clandestine llama shows, but they tend to be smaller. Getting publicity is tough for llama club. After all the first rule of llama club is...

Got a problem with jelly beans? Good thing I didn't mention rabbit raisins then.

When my cousin was a young lad, he had a pet bunny, and for the obvious reasons he named it "Raisin Wrangler."


Raisin Wrangler was an advertising character for Sun Maid Raisins back when.

[Heid the Ba]

Well, there are always the clandestine llama shows, but they tend to be smaller. Getting publicity is tough for llama club. After all the first rule of llama club is...

Maybe that is why you put a real llama in a llama suit, to sneak it past the RSPCA (animal welfare) patrols. First you put two people in there, and then once they stop searching the llama suits you can smuggle real llama, disguised as . . . llama! Genius. Or not.

By telling you this, you know I'm not in llama club.

[Lance]