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Alapca Fest headed for Flint

Monday, September 21, 2009

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local, marc jacobson

Marc Jacobson
More: Bio, abc12.com News Team, E-mail

FLINT (WJRT) -- (09/21/09) -- This weekend, hundreds of Alpacas and their owners will head to Flint.

As ABC12's Marc Jacobson shows us, it's a must-see event for alpaca enthusiasts.

Mid-Michigan is about to become the alpaca capital of the universe. The 14th Annual International Alpaca Fest takes over Perani Arena this Saturday and Sunday.

"It's a lot of fun, and we have animals coming from at least five different states," alpaca farmer Judy Maybee said.

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Phil and Judy Maybee have been raising alpacas on their Ortonville farm for ten years. They're not sure how they really fell into this. "I blame Phil, and Phil blames me. We were looking for something fun to do when we retired, and we came up with the alpacas. They're neat animals," Judy said.

Regardless of the reason, the animals are now a part of the family. "They're more like babies than kids. They don't talk back, but once in a while, they'll give you the evil eye," said Judy.

There's something behind that evil eye. Phil Maybee says these alpacas know how to get into trouble. "They'll turn the lights on and off on us. They've gotten our latches undone, and we've gotten up on Sunday mornings to find alpacas everywhere."

At Alpaca Fest, alpaca enthusiasts can pet-a-paca and even buy alpaca products. This is big business.

"L.L. Bean's new catalog came out with some alpaca items, and a lot of high-end stores are carrying alpaca," Judy noted.

Take an alpaca fleece poncho, for example. It's a new fashion trend sweeping the nation.

Jacobson: Phil, what does this retail for?

Phil: This is currently going for $500.

Whether their making a profit or just making great pets, the Maybees wouldn't trade their alpacas for any other herd.

"You can keep your horse, cows, and pigs. I'm not interested," Phil said.

Admission is free.

MORE: Alpaca Fest Web site