CCNF at the 2019 Showtacular
What is there to say about Syracuse, NY in November? It has a reputation for being a bit raw by now and this year certainly lived up (down?) to that. Waking up to snow and low double digits on Friday morning at our hotel, I was definitely grateful that my better half had the forethought to have us put our studded snow tires back on the farm truck before we headed west. Snow and 32′ livestock trailers = no bueno. Been there done that, it’s something that is best avoided…
The show(s) in Syracuse has for many years now always marked the end of our season. Though in this year of change and big happenings (empty nest here at home, condensed birthing and breeding season, childless travel abroad, and the birth of that cria) and with the help of old buddies Sue Monat, Dave Serino, and Sue’s granddaughter, Emma, we took what is — by our usually deranged standards anyway — a fairly sedate show string of just 18 yearlings to the Showtacular. With some big names (Valyria, Lyanna, Priam, Idris, Amalthea, Lucretia) having retired to our breeding herd from the team that went out with us last spring, this fall’s roster certainly had the potential to show some growing pains. Though the flip side of that is that we would also get a chance to see last March’s and April’s juvis spread their wings and get a feel for how they are developing compared to the other animals that are out there. On balance, we were pleased, not that there was any result from the ring that could radically affect our own personal evaluations anyway. Don’t misunderstand me: winning is of course always nice (and fun too) but at the same time, I think we’ve perhaps come to view our show results from the spring — where the animals are sporting much longer fiber growth and really displaying what they are about, good or bad — as being a more trustworthy indication, all things being equal, of where any animal truly stands. And regardless of ribbons won be they blue, red, or otherwise, we got to spend the Showtacular weekend penned across from our favorite grey breeders from Maryland (hello Padgetts!), whoop it up a bit at a couple of fun dinners with our friends (Serino’s getting married!!!), and generally catch up with a bunch of other fellow alpaca breeders, many of whom we hadn’t seen since last April.
I do want to make a special shout out again to both the McCartys of Heather’s Acre Alpaca Farm and the Gilmores of Central Hill Farm Alpacas. It was really fun seeing the females they had each bought from us just a couple of weeks prior, CCNF Ariel and CCNF Opaline, at the Royal Progeny sale, competing at the shows for their new owners! Ariel even managed to win Reserve Champion White Female on the NEAOBA side of things besting her paternal sister Annabella (CCNF Anna x MFI’s & KVR’s Mint Mo Money) who had done the same in the Empire show. Anyway, good stuff all around.
We obviously feel that the northeast alpaca community will be more vibrant with a viable fall event. Though whether the Showtacular can financially afford to remain in the new Exposition Center at the NY State Fairgrounds — which is hands down the nicest show facility we’ve ever been to — in future years with this number of entries (high 200s), or for that matter needs to be a 4-day (check-in Thursday, leave Sunday) event, remain serious questions for the new boards of both the Empire Alpaca Association and the New England Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association to tackle. I’d like to think that the support for a sustainably sized and organized fall double-show in the northeast remains but it would be foolhardy to deny that we’ve had some growing pains and challenges of late. For our part, we’d love to be back freezing our arses off again next year, as is tradition! We shall see. Anyway, our top results from this year’s Showtacular shows below…
Follow me on Twitter @CCNFalpacas
CCNF Championships & 1st Place Finishes at the 2019 Showtacular, Syracuse, NY
Empire Alpaca Extravaganza
CCNF Nymeria (CCNF Luna Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Khiara (CCNF Khione x CCNF Sucrose) – Champion White Huacaya Female
CCNF Valentina (CCNF Couture x CCNF Dreadnought) – Reserve Champion Brown Huacaya Female
CCNF Geraldine (CCNF Marguerite x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Reserve Champion Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Annabella (CCNF Anna x MFI’s & KVR’s Mint Mo Money) – Reserve Champion White Huacaya Female
CCNF Valentina (CCNF Couture x CCNF Dreadnought) – 1st Place, Light Brown Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Geraldine (CCNF Marguerite x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Dark Fawn Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Nymeria (CCNF Luna Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Medium Fawn Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Khiara (CCNF Khione x CCNF Sucrose) – 1st Place, White Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Dreadnought’s Andromeda (CCNF Aurora x CCNF Dreadnought) – 1st Place, Dark Bred & Owned Yearling Huacaya Females
NEAOBA Alpaca Fall Spectacular
CCNF Axel (CCNF Alia x CCNF Elixir) – Judges’ Choice Huacaya Male
CCNF Dominion (CCNF Delilah x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Brown Huacaya Male
CCNF Axel (CCNF Alia x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Fawn Male Huacaya
CCNF Nymeria (CCNF Luna Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Priya (CCNF Prestige x MFI’s & KVR’s Mint Mo Money) – Champion Light Huacaya Female
CCNF Khiara (CCNF Khione x CCNF Sucrose) – Champion White Huacaya Female
CCNF Valentina (CCNF Couture x CCNF Dreadnought) – Reserve Champion Brown Huacaya Female
CCNF Eclipse (CCNF Moonbeam x CCNF Elixir) – Reserve Champion Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Dominion (CCNF Delilah x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Brown Yearling Huacaya Males
CCNF Valentina (CCNF Couture x CCNF Dreadnought) – 1st Place, Light Brown Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Geraldine (CCNF Marguerite x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Dark Fawn Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Axel (CCNF Alia x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Medium Fawn Yearling Huacaya Males
CCNF Nymeria (CCNF Luna Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Medium Fawn Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Priya (CCNF Prestige x MFI’s & KVR’s Mint Mo Money) – 1st Place, Beige Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Bifrost (CCNF Mechlin x CCNF Centurion) – 1st Place, Light Yearling Huacaya Males
CCNF Khiara (CCNF Khione x CCNF Sucrose) – 1st Place, White Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Dreadnought’s Andromeda (CCNF Aurora x CCNF Dreadnought) – 1st Place, Dark Bred & Owned Yearling Huacaya Females
CCNF Trinidad (CCNF Tigerlilly x CCNF Dreadnought) – 1st Place, Light Bred & Owned Yearling Huacaya Males
