Though for the past couple of years we have “attended” the AOA mid-summer soirees known formally as the National Fleece Conferences in person, in truth what we really did on both occasions was drop off our show fleeces and then use the location of the conferences as an excuse to hoof around with our kids, first in and around Denver and Rocky Mountain National Park in 2015 and then our nation’s capital last year. Knowing that we had a scheduling conflict this summer that would keep us from attending this year’s event in Sacramento, CA in person though, my better half spent a couple of weeks in June skirting our newly shorn 2017 show fleeces like a mad woman. She was in a race against time sandwiched between the craziness of our older son’s High School graduation and all that led up to it and our departure towards the end of that month on a family trip to Alaska. Not helping her of course were the multiple dams at the Arena that kept going into labor. Three births in a day can be kind of a momentum-killer, especially if there are any bumps in the road! Jennifer stuck with it though and Max and I were able to drop off two huge boxes of fleeces at FedEx (yes, my mighty contribution to the effort) with 48 hours to spare before we left for our trip on the 24th.

Needless to say, in the end all of Jen’s hard work bore fruit. The most obvious takeaway from our results at the just completed 2017 conference and show was the continued presence of CCNF Elixir’s kids — including a couple who were too young to have ever been off of the farm during last spring’s show season — in the winner’s circle. One of those was CCNF Leviathan’s (whose fleece was in attendance winning the RC Brown Male Huacaya for his new owners at Stillmeadow Farm) little brother, Sentinel, as well as CCNF Ilario’s mini-me — this time a shade darker and minus the scandalous fawn spot on his neck — Tristan. This marked the 3rd year in a row that Elixir’s kids have been the dominant story for us at the National Fleece Show and especially coming on the heels of his Herdsire of the Year awards from this year’s Futurity, it just reaffirms one more time that he is getting the job done with remarkable consistency. As always, we will let the results below speak for themselves…

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2017 AOA National Fleece Show, Sacramento, CA – CCNF Championships, 1st Place Winners, & Specialty Awards

Cas-Cad-Nac Farm LLC – 2017 AOA Heirloom Breeder Cup, Huacaya Fleece

CCNF Elixir (CCNF Ascension x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, Huacaya Get of Sire

Delicate Lace (My Peruvian Danke x My Peruvian Accipiter) – 1st Place, Produce of Dam

CCNF Heimdall (CCNF Mechlin x CCNF Centurion) – Best Brightness, Huacaya

CCNF Moonraker (CCNF Moonlight x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Brown Huacaya Male

CCNF Nikita (CCNF Margaux x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Brown Huacaya Female

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

CCNF Tristan (Chatham Lancaster’s La Boheme x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Light Huacaya Male

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

CCNF Eden (CCNF Johanna x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Mixed/Combined Female

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

CCNF Staccata (TGF Let Freedom Ring x Spirit Wind’s Maestro) – Reserve Champion Mixed/Combined Female

CCNF Tessana (CCNF Tessora x Snowmass Sub-Zero) – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Female

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

CCNF Moonraker (CCNF Moonlight x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Yearling Light Brown Huacaya Males

CCNF Sentinel (CCNF Capuchin x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile Dark Fawn Huacaya Males

MFI & KVR’s Fila My Fleece (KVR’s Prada My Fleece x MFI Peruvian Presumption) – 1st Place, 2 Year Old Dark Fawn Huacaya Females

CCNF Prima Majesty (CCNF Bellarina x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Mature Dark Fawn Huacaya Females

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

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

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

CCNF Spittfire (CCNF The Mighty Beast Alexandra x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, 2 Year Old Beige Huacaya Males

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

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

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

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

CCNF Staccata (TGF Let Freedom Ring x Spirit Wind’s Maestro) – 1st Place, Juvenile Pattern Huacaya Females

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