Alpacas come to Lake County Fair

The Lake County Fair added a new event to the schedule this year that brought in some curious looks. 

Shelby and Bowen Tryon had their alpacas outside toward the back of the fair. Kids and adults wandered over to check the animals out. They were strangely quiet compared to the other livestock, only letting out a hum when they got uncomfortable.

In Kalispell, showing alpacas has been going on at the fair for far longer. When it was decided that they were going to add alpacas to the 4-H projects, Diana Blair got a call to help judge the competition.

Before the start of the competition, Blair examined the animals from afar. “One is a Huacaya, and the other is a Suri.”

Alpacas come from South America, and are bred for their fiber. While llamas lived higher up in the mountains, alpacas were down lower. There are only a few differences between the two, including the size of their ears. “Alpacas have smaller ears, while llamas have ears shaped more like a banana,” Blair said.

Another observer at the competition was Lorrie Lake, who breeds the animals for their fiber. “They are a good sized animal for kids,” she said as she watched on. “There is so much to learn about them.”

Shelby and Bowen were judged pretty loosely, Blair said. The competition is a little more intense in Kalispell. They were judged on showmanship first, then later on taking them through obstacles, which included a gate, poles, plywood, and leading them with a wheelbarrow. 

Shelby Tryon said they are new to the animals. “We’ve had one for a year, and just got the other about a month ago,” Tryon said.

They two said the competition wasn’t hard. “They are very gentle,” Shelby added.

After the fair, the two planned to shear their alpacas to sell the fiber.