{"id":313502,"date":"2026-10-24T17:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T17:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/313502\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T17:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T17:36:08","slug":"bringing-llama-drama-to-downtown-scranton-scranton-times-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/313502\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing Llama Drama to downtown Scranton \u2013 Scranton Times-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Carol Reigh bought her first llamas 29 years ago, she immediately connected with fellow owners to learn proper care practices and share the joy of raising them.<\/p>\n

That passion led her to the Greater Appalachian Llama and Alpaca Association. Several years later, she attended her first GALA conference, and she now serves as the group\u2019s president.<\/p>\n

This weekend, the organization brought its annual conference to the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center. Several owners brought their animals along, much to the delight of passersby, who were invited to a public session Saturday afternoon to learn about camelids\u2014or simply snap a selfie.<\/p>\n

\"Paul<\/p>\n

Paul and Cindy Millard shown at the 37th Annual Greater Appalachian Llama Association (GALA) Conference held at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center in Scranton on October 24, 2026. The couple owns a small farm in Virginia and travelled to the area to learn more about llamas and to meet like-minded attendees. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Items<\/p>\n

Items to be sold and shared at the 37th Annual Greater Appalachian Llama Association (GALA) Conference held at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center on October 24, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An alpaca to be shown at the 37th Annual Greater Appalachian Llama Association (GALA) Conference held at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center on October 24, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A llama shown with a handler at the 37th Annual Greater Appalachian Llama Association (GALA) Conference, held at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center on October 24, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An llama to be shown at the 37th Annual Greater Appalachian Llama Association (GALA) Conference held at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center on October 24, 2026. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 5<\/p>\n

Paul and Cindy Millard shown at the 37th Annual Greater Appalachian Llama Association (GALA) Conference held at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center in Scranton on October 24, 2026. The couple owns a small farm in Virginia and travelled to the area to learn more about llamas and to meet like-minded attendees. (GERI GIBBONS\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Llamas and alpacas have grown steadily in popularity since the 1970s. As members of the camelid family, they require specialized care, and the conference offers hands-on training in everything from toenail trimming and shearing to proper nutrition.<\/p>\n

Many passersby who stopped to observe the animals noted how friendly llamas are toward humans and how much they seem to enjoy each other\u2019s company, often touching noses in greeting.<\/p>\n

The event also offered a dedicated \u201cVeterinarian Day\u201d Friday, which included expert training on such topics as camelid medical care, herd nutrition and advanced surgeries.<\/p>\n

Loving llamas<\/p>\n

Paul and Cindy Millard traveled from their 5-acre farm in Virginia to assist with the convention and to network with other llama owners.<\/p>\n

Their journey began in 2010 when Paul retired from the military, and the couple decided to purchase their first llama. Today, they own six, sometimes adopting older llamas who require a bit more attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cSharing knowledge and the camaraderie of other llama owners is why I joined GALA, and I have enjoyed attending conferences,\u201d Cindy Millard said.<\/p>\n

As a member of the organization\u2019s board of directors, Millard found her happy place in the fiber area of the conference, demonstrating a spinning wheel and highlighting the specialized yarns and textures unique to llama wool. She noted that her grandmother was a weaver, a traditional craft she is proud to carry forward for future generations.<\/p>\n

The trip marked the couple\u2019s first visit to Scranton. In addition to attending the conference, they explored the Steamtown National Historic Site to tour a special exhibit celebrating the park\u2019s 40th anniversary.<\/p>\n

Conference organizers scheduled a silent auction for Saturday night to raise funds for camelid medical research and government relations advocacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Carol Reigh bought her first llamas 29 years ago, she immediately connected with fellow owners to learn…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313503,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[182,139,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-313502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313502\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}