Goofy, fuzzy & packed in the West Bottoms: Why hundreds of alpacas flock to KC every year
Tammy Ljungblad, Sidney Steele
Inside Look is a Star series that takes our readers behind the scenes of some of the most well-known and not-so-well-known places and events in Kansas City.
One weekend each year, alpaca farmers from around the country flock to Kansas City for the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show and the Mid America Alpaca Challenge.
At the MOPACA Invitational, alpacas come in all shapes and sizes, from miniature, felted alpaca keychains and small stuffed alpacas, to the real, live alpacas being judged in show.
Dale Hoerl of Bucyrus, Kansas, holds a pair of alpacas, while waiting for the Walking Fleece class at the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show Friday at Hale Arena. Hoerl is with Alpacas of Moose Creek.
Justin Nuke, from left, Colton Bohemian, and Brogan Lehman, of Applewood Lane Alpacas in Wittenberg, Wisconsin, wait with their young alpacas for a show class during the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show 2024 Friday at Hale Arena.
Hundreds of the fuzzy, South American mammals can be found March 22-24 at Hale Arena at the American Royal Center in Kansas City’s historic West Bottoms neighborhood. This year marks the 21st year of the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show, and the third year of the Mid America Alpaca Challenge.
At the show, alpaca pens line the arena where show-goers can see the camelid creatures while they wait to be evaluated by judges. In the halter and walking fleece shows, the alpacas are brought by their owners to the center ring, where they are judged based on the quality of their fleece and conformation.
Some of the judging criteria for the fleece includes fineness and handle, uniformity of micron and color, character, crimp and staple type, density and brightness, absence of guard hair, impurities/stains/fleece damage, lock structure and density luster.
Heather Thordarson, an apprentice judge from Redmond, Oregon, takes a fleece sample during the Walking Fleece class at the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show on Friday at Hale Arena.
Judge Beverly Brehm of Medford, Oregon, looks over the five fleece samples taken from an alpaca that are stuck on her armband during the Walking Fleece class at the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show on Friday at Hale Arena.
Russ Reynolds of La Motte, Iowa, took Best Bred & Owned with Irish Meadows Urban, a Huacaya alpaca, during the halter class at the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show 2024 Friday at Hale Arena. Reynolds was showing the alpaca for owner Mike and Julie Delaney of Irish Meadows Alpaca Farm in La Motte, Iowa.
People of all ages love to see the alpacas’ goofy personalities and the products made from their fleece. Visitors of the show can watch alpaca fiber being spun into yarn, woven into rugs and shawls, and shop for alpaca products such as sweaters, socks, and scarves, according to the MOPACA website.
“It’s very calming for me because I love it and I’m a master spinner and I just love the constant movement and the ability to draft and make the yarn exactly like I like it,” said Lorry McDonald of Oak Grove, Missouri, who was spinning alpaca wool into yarn at her booth, Black Water Treasures, at the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show 2024 Friday at Hale Arena. “I went to the Alberta College of Agriculture and they have a master spinner class up there and you learn all about the types of yarn and you do sheep and all kinds of animals and plant proteins along with alpaca and llama and the camelids,” said McDonald. “And you also learn about how to decide how much yarn you need for sweaters or scarves or all that stuff.”
Lorry McDonald of Oak Grove, Missouri, had alpaca wool yarn for sale at her booth, Black Water Treasures, Friday at the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show 2024 at Hale Arena. McDonald is a master spinner and spins and dyes the alpaca fiber.
Alpacas can produce about 5-10 pounds of strong, soft, and warm lightweight fleece per year when sheered, according to the Alpaca Owners Association. MOPACA says alpacas are the perfect small livestock, as they don’t require a lot of land, are easy on the earth, and are generally safe and pleasant to be around.
Dale Hoerl of Bucyrus, Kansas, sweet talks Dream Catcher, a rose grey alpaca, while waiting for a show class at the MOPACA Invitational Alpaca Show Friday at Hale Arena in Kansas City. Hoerl is with Alpacas of Moose Creek.
