It has in fact been a month already since we participated in the 2017 edition of the dual North American/Northeast Expo alpaca shows. Yet circumstances being what they were — namely the NAAS/NAE ending just 6 days before the Futurity show started out in Kansas City, followed very closely by ours kids’ April vacation week, which then led into all of the prep entailed with getting the farm ready to shear 230 alpacas, and lastly followed by, you know…the actual shearing of said alpaca herd over 3 long days which came to an end just this past Monday, 5/1 — here I am posting these results at the start of May!

Oh, young fellow do we ever have plans for you! CCNF Bataclan, who is an amalgam of so many different genetic puzzle pieces we have gathered in recent years, after winning the White Male Championship and Judge’s Choice Huacaya Male at the 2017 North American Show.

Now in its 16th year (for the NAAS anyway), the shows were held and run concurrently at the Eastern States Exposition Center in West Springfield, MA for the 2nd year in a row. Prior to 2016, the Expo had been held elsewhere as a stand-alone event out in Syracuse, NY before it was then merged into the same weekend/location with its bigger, more renowned cousin. It is safe to say that the multi show-1 weekend format is fast becoming the norm in the alpaca world, at least in this part of the country. As always, Alpaca Show Management Services (known around these parts as Scott Young and Kevin O’Leary) did a marvelous job of putting on what was in fact a three show weekend (the new Bay State Small Breeders Blast was also a huge success by all accounts). Scott and Kev did tweak things a little though, adding a 3rd day to the previous year’s 2 day event which allowed the pace of things to return to the more relaxed rhythm we have all come to associate with the NAAS going back to its inception as a show in ’02.

Though the show circuit in general would easily allow us to be on the road well in excess of 10 weekends a year if we chose to follow that path, the NAAS has almost always served as our first show of the calendar year and we are nothing if not creatures of habit. As founding organizers of the North American (“we” did our 10 year hitch — Jen was the one who really worked for the show while I shopped, made dinner, and schlepped our then two little boys around — then got the heck out), we still come down a day early though so that we can set up early — rather helpful when we lose our minds and decide that bringing 43 animals sounds like a swell idea — and help out with color compliance check on Thursday. Coming down early is also above all, a great excuse to go out for dinner with our friends on Wednesday night that are still crazy enough to run the show. As those that were at the NAAS/NAE this year may well have noted, Kevin was missing from action this year as his life partner and our fellow NAAS founder and friend, Debbie Shields, battles cancer. Even amidst the chaos, Deb and Kev were rarely out of our thoughts: a lot of blood, sweat, and tears was shed with those guys as well as old friends and NAAS alums Bob & Louise Hebeler from the run and gun early early 2000s of the US alpaca industry.

We also want to offer our most heartfelt thanks to Lynn Edens and Susanne Bienenstock of Little Creek Farm Alpacas/Accoyo America who, in addition to breeding world-class alpacas, also know how to put on one helluva of a cocktail party! Not that anyone who has been lucky enough to attend the Parade Of Champions at LCF in the past would ever be surprised by that fact. At last fall’s Empire show, Lynn and Susanne had consigned a “wine and cheese party at your show booth” as part of that show’s live fundraising auction, which knowing full well that we would be celebrating our farm’s 20th anniversary in 2017, we had bid on and won. Thanks to all of our many friends and colleagues who stopped by that Friday evening at the NAAS/NAE and helped us celebrate. It was a delicious, fun, and decidedly giggly (copious champagne will do that) couple of hours. Only 5 years to our 25th!

As mentioned above, the show string was 43 animals deep in West Springfield this time around — believe it or not, that’s not actually a record for us — and that meant making sure that we had plenty of handlers in place to make it all run smoothly. There was some nervousness on our part that a late season snow storm might keep our boys from joining us on Thursday night (older teenagers now, they drive themselves) and so we ended up busting them out of school late that morning, something which they didn’t mind in the least. As in the recent past, our Herd Health Manager, Kim Duprey, did a kick-ass job playing the role of pitt-boss all weekend long, making sure that all animals got to where they needed to go over the 3 days of showing with an at least somewhat willing human on the other end of the lead line. Many thanks as always to our beloved peeps Sue Monat and Dave Serino for allowing themselves to be conscripted into our craziness and get sucked back into alpacadom all over again. Neil and Bari Padgett, our friends and partners from A Paca Fun Farm, were of course awesome as always whenever we needed a hand too. Bottom line: as in years past, it was an all-hands-on-deck three ring circus but in the end we managed just fine. I’ll let the show placings below speak for themselves. 🙂

Follow me on Twitter @CCNFalpacas

Cas-Cad-Nac Farm LLC – Championships & 1st Place Finishes, NAAS/NAE, Springfield, MA

North American Alpaca Show

CCNF Bataclan (CCNF Daliance x CCNF Elixir) – Judge’s Choice Huacaya Male

CCNF Magisteria (CCNF Jasmine x CCNF Magistrate) – Champion Black Huacaya Female

CCNF Majesty United (TGF Let Freedom Reign x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Brown Huacaya Female

CCNF Sienna (Happy Hearts Gemma D’Oro x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Fawn Huacaya Female

CCNF Dreadnought (CCNF Prima Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Fawn Huacaya Male

CCNF Delilah (CCNF Lilah x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Light Huacaya Female

CCNF Heimdall (CCNF Mechlin x CCNF Centurion) – Champion Light Huacaya Male

CCNF Bataclan (CCNF Daliance x CCNF Elixir) – Champion White Huacaya Male

CCNF Sweet Confection (Sugar Snow x CCNF Elixir) – Best Bred & Owned Huacaya Female

CCNF Midnatsol (CCNF Lilah x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Reserve Champion Brown Huacaya Female

CCNF Adanna (CCNF Tanzania x CCNF Elixir) – Reserve Champion Fawn Huacaya Female

CCNF Oriflamme (CCNF La Vie en Rose x CCNF Elixir) – Reserve Champion Light Huacaya Female

CCNF Elicia (CCNF Elizabeth x MFI Peruvian Precocious) – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Female

CCNF Marcelon (CCNF Melange x Snowmass Sub-Zero) – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Male

CCNF Magisteria (CCNF Jasmine x CCNF Magistrate) – 1st Place, Bay Black Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Beatnik (CCNF Orange Blossom Special x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Medium Brown Juvenile Huacaya Males

CCNF Conallan (CCNF Consolation x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Light Brown Juvenile Huacaya Males

CCNF Midnatsol (CCNF Lilah x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Brown Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Nikita (CCNF Margaux x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Medium Brown Yearling Huacaya Females

CCNF Majesty United (TGF Let Freedom Reign x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Light Brown Yearling Huacaya Females

CCNF Ajoyani (AG Margarita x Snowmass Matris Majesty) – 1st Place, Dark Fawn Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Adanna (CCNF Tanzania x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Medium Fawn Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Sienna (Happy Hearts Gemma D’Oro x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Medium Fawn Yearling Huacaya Females

CCNF Armani (FRE Elixir’s Fashionably Late x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Dark Fawn Juvenile Huacaya Males

CCNF Privateer (CCNF Nutmeg of Consolation x Spirit Wind’s Maestro) – 1st Place, Medium Fawn Juvenile Huacaya Males

CCNF Dreadnought (CCNF Prima Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Fawn Yearling Huacaya Males

CCNF Isola (CCNF Ascension x CCNF Defiance) – 1st Place, Light Fawn Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Oriflamme (CCNF La Vie en Rose x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Beige Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Delilah (CCNF Lilah x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Light Fawn Yearling Huacaya Females

CCNF Charmaine (CCNF Charming x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Beige Yearling Huacaya Females

CCNF Caipirinha (CCNF Questra x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Light 2 Year Old Huacaya Females

CCNF Heimdall (CCNF Mechlin x CCNF Centurion) – 1st Place, Beige Juvenile Huacaya Males

CCNF Ilario (Chatham Lancaster’s La Boheme x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Beige Yearling Huacaya Males

CCNF Elicia (CCNF Elizabeth x MFI Peruvian Precocious) – 1st Place, White Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Tessana (CCNF Tessora x Snowmass Sub-Zero) – 1st Place, White Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Bataclan (CCNF Daliance x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, White Juvenile Huacaya Males

CCNF Mutineer (CCNF Infinite Grace x CCNF Defiance) – 1st Place, White Juvenile Huacaya Males

CCNF Marcelon (CCNF Melange x Snowmass Sub-Zero) – 1st Place, White Yearling Huacaya Males

CCNF Eden (CCNF Johanna x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Mixed/Combined Yearling Huacaya Females

CCNF Heidrun (CCNF Dorianna x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Dark Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Alia (Ulio Umbra Aletta x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Dark Yearling Huacaya Females

CCNF Sweet Confection (Sugar Snow x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Light Juvenile Huacaya Females

CCNF Baldric (CCNF Bellafina x CCNF Invictus) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Dark Yearling Huacaya Males

CCNF Declan (Delicate Lace x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Bred & Owned Light Juvenile Huacaya Males

Northeast Alpaca Expo

CCNF Heimdall (CCNF Mechlin x CCNF Centurion) – Judge’s Choice Huacaya Male

CCNF Magisteria (CCNF Jasmine x CCNF Magistrate) – Champion Black Huacaya Female

CCNF Majesty United (TGF Let Freedom Reign x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Brown Huacaya Female

CCNF Sienna (Happy Hearts Gemma D’Oro x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Fawn Huacaya Female

CCNF Dreadnought (CCNF Prima Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Fawn Huacaya Male

CCNF Oriflamme (CCNF La Vie en Rose x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Light Huacaya Female

CCNF Heimdall (CCNF Mechlin x CCNF Centurion) – Champion Light Huacaya Male

CCNF Bataclan (CCNF Daliance x CCNF Elixir) – Champion White Huacaya Male

CCNF Sweet Confection (Sugar Snow x CCNF Elixir) – Best Bred & Owned Huacaya Female

CCNF Midnatsol (CCNF Lilah x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Reserve Champion Brown Huacaya Female

CCNF Armani (FRE Elixir’s Fashionably Late x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Reserve Champion Fawn Huacaya Male

CCNF Rainbow Pulse (CCNF Couture x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Reserve Champion Light Huacaya Female

CCNF Elicia (CCNF Elizabeth x MFI Peruvian Precocious) – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Female

CCNF Elixir (CCNF Ascension x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, Get of Sire (CCNF Oriflamme, CCNF Delilah, CCNF Sweet Confection)

Sugar Snow (Snowmass Starlit Snow x 6Peruvian Monarch) – 1st Place, Produce of Dam (CCNF Sugarmaker, CCNF Sweet Confection)