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Diane McCormick<\/p>\n
Carey DuRand called for the girl alpacas to be released into the field. Then came the boys.<\/p>\n
Santoro, a cream-hued boy with a remarkable resemblance to Sam the Snowman of \u201cRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,\u201d ambled to the fence, hoping for treats.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s got a full mustache and beard,\u201d DuRand said. \u201cCracks me up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking for a fun and educational summer getaway? One with fuzzy animals with irresistibly soulful eyes?<\/p>\n
Try a nearby alpaca farm. Get out in the fresh air. Enjoy the countryside views. Let the kids romp, phone-free. Give a boost to Pennsylvania agriculture, and meet some of the cutest animals on the planet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re kind of funny looking,\u201d said Karen Nace, president of the Pennsylvania Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association. \u201cThey\u2019re furry. People flock to them. Most kids have seen a sheep and a goat and a cow, but they\u2019ve not really seen an alpaca.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Origin Stories<\/p>\n
Alpaca farmers just seem to fall into the business.<\/p>\n
Carey DuRand and her family wanted animals suited to their new farm, and they found them at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. After volunteering for nearby Alpacas of York to learn the ropes, they grew a herd of seven\u2014that ballooned to 37, in part, when Alpacas of York asked to board its herd at DuRand\u2019s Shear Heaven Alpaca Farm near Emigsville.<\/p>\n
Scott and Cindy Johnston of Starry Night Alpacas, Lewisberry, accompanied a friend to an auction, just to look. When auctioneers led in the adorable Jackson, Scott\u2019s hand went up, \u201cand we bought an alpaca,\u201d said Cindy. Then came the kicker.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know they\u2019re pack animals,\u201d someone said, \u201cso you need to have at least two.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, they have two dozen.<\/p>\n
Angie Grove, looking for an activity for her daughter, found it on a visit to an alpaca farm. Now a 4-H leader, Grove opened Angie\u2019s Alpaca Paradise in Enola in August 2024. There, I was first greeted by two personable boys, the beautifully spotted Bomber and the sleek black Griffin popping their heads over their stall.<\/p>\n
Every week, Grove\u2019s farm hosts 4-H members who tend to assigned alpacas and train for agility competitions.<\/p>\n
Tending livestock teaches children how to take responsibility for the health and well-being of animals, including pets, and that there are \u201cgood days and bad days, because just like us, animals wake up in a bad mood, and they\u2019re like, \u2018No, I\u2019m not doing that today,\u2019\u201d said Grove.<\/p>\n
\u201cKids are our future, whether they want to own a farm in their lifetime or not,\u201d she said. \u201cWorking with animals teaches them responsibility. It teaches them that it doesn\u2019t matter what the weather is. They\u2019re coming to the farm. The animals still need fed, and the poop needs cleaned up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alpaca farmers cherish their roles as educators and PA agritourism ambassadors.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of all, I love bringing kids from the city here that don\u2019t really know grass and trees,\u201d said DuRand, whose farm offers stunning views. \u201cThe experience and the joy is absolutely what fuels me. It\u2019s even more important now with people being so glued to technology and phones and social media. It\u2019s so important to have opportunities to get people away from that and to be outdoors and see God\u2019s creation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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What I Learned<\/p>\n
Yes, alpacas spit. But usually, only if they\u2019re fighting over food, so don\u2019t get between them.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t walk behind them or touch their rear ends, either. They can kick.<\/p>\n
They are native to the Andes Mountains of South America, mostly in Peru, Bolivia and Chile. They came to the U.S. around 1980.<\/p>\n
As prey animals, they would naturally shy away from humans, but if you have treats, they\u2019re happy to meet and greet.<\/p>\n
They are communal poopers. They do their business in one place in the field, which allows farm visitors to walk around freely, as long as they avoid the restroom areas.<\/p>\n
Sure, they\u2019re cute, but they are livestock\u2014living beings that require food, water, shelter, treatments against parasites and annual shearing.<\/p>\n
Those googly eyes come from their mountain origins. Grove told me that their three eyelids expand their peripheral vision to spot predators like mountain lions.<\/p>\n
Boys and girls have separate quarters because they mate year-round. When DuRand, leading a Shear Heaven tour, shared that female alpacas are pregnant for 11\u00bd months, the women there\u2014a Maryland group that takes excursions around the region\u2014groaned.<\/p>\n
Alpaca fleece is hypoallergenic, wicking for year-round comfort and, they say, seven times warmer than wool.<\/p>\n
Alpacas come in 16 natural colors, from white and fawns to browns, grays and blacks. At the Johnstons\u2019 Starry Night Alpacas, Rachel has a pronounced underbite but a stunning coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the sun was shining, you\u2019d see how she was a red-mahogany color,\u201d said Scott as rain pelted the barn roof. \u201cShe\u2019s really beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Up Close<\/p>\n
Like humans and pets, each alpaca has a personality. From his side of the fence, Shear Heaven\u2019s Beau likes to race four-wheelers and visitors.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s Mr. Competitive,\u201d said DuRand.<\/p>\n
Some are shy or skittish. Others are friendly. DuRand\u2019s \u201csuper-chill\u201d Frodo calmly poses for photos with guests, including a giggling little girl who exclaimed, \u201cHe didn\u2019t even bite me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Which, actually, is impossible. Alpacas have only bottom teeth. They grind their food with their hard palates.<\/p>\n
I learned, however, that I should have clung tightly to Frodo\u2019s neck for my photo. When he bolted from me, DuRand calmly instructed the visitors to form a human fence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou guys are all alpaca farmers now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At Shear Heaven, Jen and Jon Bosley, recent transplants from Maryland to Red Lion, York County, were at \u201cA\u201d on their A-to-Z list of Pennsylvania experiences. As the tour wrapped up, DuRand recruited them to lead Frodo and Sammy to the barn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting the full alpaca experience,\u201d Jen said. \u201cThen we\u2019re off to Hershey to build a candy bar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many things to do up here that you don\u2019t realize,\u201d said birthday-boy Jon. \u201cWe love Pennsylvania. It\u2019s a different pace of living.\u201d<\/p>\n
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World Away<\/p>\n
Since their introduction to Pennsylvania, alpacas have become agritourism mainstays.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re PA Preferred at the Farm Show, and a lot of our members sell beautiful things made with PAOBA yarn,\u201d said association President Nace. \u201cI don\u2019t think any of us are making a lot of money. Agritourism helps bring in some extra income and keep the farm running.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nace hosts alpaca yoga and summer camps at her Crimson Skye Farm, Schwenksville, Montgomery County. DuRand holds Alpaca U classes for adults ready to learn. Farms typically have gift shops, including Starry Night, featuring yarn spun and pieces woven by Cindy Johnston. Grove sells $5 bags of alpaca poop\u2014it\u2019s odorless!\u2014for fertilizer, while her 4-H students raise funds by making alpaca-fleece nesting balls for birds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try and use everything,\u201d Grove said. \u201cWe don\u2019t let anything go to waste.\u201d<\/p>\n
The alpaca appeal is in the animals themselves, say the Johnstons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just feel comfortable around them,\u201d Scott said. \u201cThey\u2019re very relaxing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cindy likes to set a chair in the middle of the pasture \u201cand just sit there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something about them, especially their eyes,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re depressed, they just have some kind of chemistry that makes you feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Angie\u2019s Alpaca Paradise, Grove names the babies after Disney characters. I bonded with Stitch as we walked the barn at an easy pace\u2014until we turned, and he was anxious to run back to his buddies in the pen.<\/p>\n
Alpaca visits offer a way to de-stress or give the kids a day out, said Grove. Her fall event, Oct. 4 this year, lets kids walk and feed an alpaca and play alpaca games\u2014all for $5 per child.<\/p>\n
Life is expensive, Grove said, \u201cand if we can bring some family time together and still pay our bills, that\u2019s our goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
You never know what people are going through, she adds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we keep our costs down to the public, they can come and enjoy, and we can put that smile on somebody\u2019s face,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s, you know, our purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alpaca Action<\/p>\n
Tours, fees and events differ by alpaca farm. For more information on the farms and resources in this story:<\/p>\n
Angie\u2019s Alpaca Paradise, farm and store, 6844 Wertzville Rd., Enola. Open for free walk-in visits Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., other tours by appointment. www.angiesalpacaparadise.com<\/a><\/p>\n Crimson Skye Farm, 704 Camp Wawa Rd., Schwenksville, www.crimsonskyealpacafarm.com<\/a><\/p>\n Shear Heaven Alpaca Farm and Store, 3841 Trout Run Rd., York. Scheduled tours Wednesdays and Sundays, www.shearheavenfarm.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Starry Night Alpacas and Store, 653 Observatory Rd., Lewisberry. Tours by appointment, 717-938-6898, [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alpaca Fiber Designs, www.alpacafiberdesigns.com<\/a><\/p>\n Alpaca farm finder, www.paoba.org<\/a><\/p>\n