Every summer thousands of people flock to the Grange Fair to see prize cows, sheep, horses and other livestock.

But for the first time this weekend…alpacas are coming to the fairgrounds for an annual state show.

Deb Potts-Ragan, the president of the Pennsylvania Alpaca Owners & Breeders Association Showcase, or PAOBA, says the animals are part of a constantly growing business in the state.

“Alpacas are livestock, they’re not pets,” said Potts-Ragan. “Now some people have a few pets in their backyard, but for most of us, we’re breeding them as livestock and we’re breeding them for the fiber that they produce.”

And that soft fur is popping up in more and more clothing products

“It’s very very warm, it doesn’t have the scratch that some other fiber products have, so people that are allergic to other fibers can wear alpaca without a problem,” she said. “It wicks water away, it’s fire retardent…it’s got a lot of wonderful properties.”

At shows like the one this weekend, an alpaca’s fleece accounts for 60 percent of its score it receives from judges…the other 40 percent is based on the animal’s overall looks.

“For the most part we’re looking at density in the fiber, a nice soft handling fleece, consistency in color and consistency in micron, which is the size of the fibers,” said Potts-Ragan.

There are two different breeds of alpacas…each with their own special fleece.

“There are huacayas and they’re the teddy-bear furry looking alpaca, and then there’s a suri, which their fleece falls in dreadlocks.”

For the shows, the alpacas are separated by breed and gender…this weekend’s show will also feature a performance ring for 4-h kids from across the state, coming to compete with their own alpacas.

“It’s good education for the kids, teaches ’em responsibility and they also have a lot of fun,” she said.

The Grange Fair’s large Equine Venue will host the show…and while crews will have to bring in heaters to keep everyone comfortable, they say the larger space has it’s advantages.

“It’s gonna be a lot easier to have everyone in the same place for the most part, connected under one roof, and that is definitely convenient,” said Chris Works, member of the PAOBA Board of Directors.

Coordinator Chris Works also said he thinks being smack dab in the center of Pennsylvania will bring in new visitors to the show.

“We really really like the State College area with its demographics, we think that’ll come in handy for the public to come in and see what we’re doing,” said Works, and went on to say, “There’s a lot of guilds in the area…a lot of spinning and weaving guilds, and a lot of those people will be here, and alpacas are just really cool creatures. Kids, family…it’s a great family event.”

Potts-Ragan, who’s been raising alpacas for about 15 years says they’re similar to a common house pet.

“What I usually tell people is they have the personality very similar to a cat, they want to be your friend, when they want to be your friend,” she said.

Alpacas first came to the U.S. in the mid 80s and have grown in popularity with livestock farmers since. There will be about 400 of them at this weekend’s show.

“Shows are growing, we’re getting a lot of the new people who are involved in the alpacas, so it’s really an exciting time to be in the alpaca industry,” said Potts-Ragan.

Many are optimistic the show will come to town again next year

“The facility and the facilities manager here at the Grange are really working with us, they’ve been great. We look forward to making every attempt to come back here for years to come.” chris

The show will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Fair’s Equine Center.

A packed house of vendors will be present at the showcase, selling various items including alpaca fashions.

There will also many young ladies vying to be crowned “Alpaca Princess.”

Miss Pennsylvania USA 2019 Kailyn Marie Perez  will also make an appearance on Saturday. Her appearance time has not yet been announced.