Since it’s been such a warm season – we needed a little Winter Dreams!!

Snowmass Alpacas, in Idaho, is, by many accounts, the most highly regarded North American alpaca breeder.  We’ve been dreaming of some Snowmass Genetics for quite a while so with their annual auction, we added Snowmass Winter Dreams to our barn.  Even better yet, she came with her son, Snowmass Winter Solstice! 

Winter Solstice is an 8 month old male who will join our show string this spring with a debut at the Spring Bling show in a few weeks.  We are hopeful that he will also join our herdsire row – The Chiefs of Tiskilwa – in a few years.  Naming his kids will be kind of fun – I can already see an “Inti Raymi”  or “Intihuatana” – the Incan Festival of the Sun celebrated on the Solstice at Sacsayhuaman every year in late June!!  Winter Solstice is a son of Snowmass Elite Legend, the 2011 Futurity Light Herdsire of the Year. 

To make the purchase even better, Winter Dreams is rebred to Snowmass Best Man, the 2011 Futurity Reserve Light Herdsire of the Year for a cria due this summer.  We’d be happy if she has another boy, but “TFA Peruvian Best Man’s Maid of Honor” has a nice ring to it.  Best Man was in the auction and didn’t sell for $125,000, but did sell for something more than that after auction – he’s moving to Europe, so we’ll have one of his last American kids.  

Now if we could just get this winter over with so we can see the “Winters” pronking in the Tiskilwa Summer Pastures!! 

Midwest Select Alpaca Auction

We have two girls practicing their runway walk for the Midwest Select Alpaca Auction in Wisconsin on May 12.  We'll be entering TFA Peruvian Sharon - a Highlander daughter bred to Right of Way.  We also have TFA Amalyra - also bred to Right of Way.  More to follow:

Spring Shows 2012

Show season is almost upon us.  We will start the year at the Spring Bling Alpacafest in Appleton, WI on March 17th.  We love this show, which is held in an ice skating rink.  We will debut a whole new show sting with several Knight Rider kids, some Highlander kids, some Quest kids, and of course Winter Solstice - our newest purchase.

We then have a bit of a break until the Minnesota Alpaca Show in Owatanna MN on 4/15.  Hmmm 4/15... I don't think we'll have the accountant handlers at that show, so we'll add a few more alpacas to assure that those who do get to attend the show have to work just a bit harder.

We'll have at least some of the string at the Futurity show 4/21... but since it's right after tax season, some of us may sneak off to go sailing in the Caribean instead???????

Next will be the Great Midwest Alpaca Fest in Madison WI on 4/28.  We've attended this show for many many years and have finally worked our way up to the main floor stalling.  This show will also have our favorite Austrailian Judge.... well, favorite who still lives there full time (hear that Jude??)... Mr. Peter Kennedy.  I can't wait for him to evaluate the Knight Rider kids.  His farm in Victoria AU focuses exclusively on BLACK alpacas.

Then comes the BEST SHOW OF THE YEAR - the Interstate 80 Alpacafest in Princeton, IL.  It's a fun, relaxed show, but last year 3 animals who won championships at this great little show also went on to win Championships at the National Show in Denver just a few weeks later.  Oh... did I mention that this show is organized by Tiskilwa Farms and Apple Tree Acres?  Sponsorships are still open... so, as we say in Chicago... register early and register often!!!