Subscribe by RSS
Christmas on the Farm with Santa and alpaca
ANNE EICKSTADT PHOTO Belvidere Republican
Kira, Greg and Wade (age 1) visit with Santa Claus during the Christmas on the Farm event at Alpaca Pines.
“Why am I holding a chicken?” Santa Claus said. “It’s a farm and the children love petting my Christmas rooster.”
“This is our sixth year of holding Christmas on the Farm. People can come and make an ornament, try needle felting, and visit with the alpaca, the sheep, and chickens,” said owner Vicki Donley of Alpaca Pines, 21756 Beaverton Road, Poplar Grove. “We have recently lost three of our alpaca – Clover and Katrita – Suri females, and Jelly – a huacaya male. Jelly is known throughout Boone County because he has always come with us to the Boone County Fair and everyone has gotten used to seeing him there.
“It’s nice to see familiar faces and new faces as well here for Christmas on the Farm. I am here in the shop, greeting people, Robert (my husband) is showing the fiber mill area where you can make an alpaca fiber ornament, and Christopher (my son) is out back assisting people with meeting the alpacas and our other animals.
“It’s been busy this weekend with Small Business Saturday and people are still coming today, on Sunday. They are also pre-registering for our Family Fiber Frenzy class on Jan. 8 from 1 – 4 p.m. We will be wet-felting –learning how to create fabric and using a cardboard loom.’ Class cost is $20 per adult and kids under 13 are $10.
“Come, shop with us for Christmas. We are open Wednesdays through Saturdays with extended hours. We have just restocked our yarns and other items in our gift shop. We have lots of hats this year from L.D. Youngman in our Sip ‘n Spin group.”
“It’s been a good afternoon,” said Bob Donley. “We are hoping for a good year next year.”
“I’m seeing little kids who are just enjoying themselves,” said Santa. “Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Be kind to everyone and be good.”
Another class you can take:
Alpaca Pines Farm and Fiber Mill is happy to announce private lessons with LuLu. She is The Sip-n-Spin’s Tipsy Spinster, a fiber artist with her own You Tube channel. She has joined Alpaca Pines to assist those that need help developing or fine-tuning spinning skills using a spinning wheel or spindles. Call to reserve a time.
Costs range from $40 per hour for private lessons to $20 per hour for a small group lesson.
Alpaca Pines also offers scouting participants to be a part of their Fiber Friend-zy group and learn about creating with fiber.
About Alpaca Pines LLC Farm and Fiber Mill
Alpaca Pines offers a full-service fiber mill. Stop by for a visit, the farm has 37 alpacas a llama, sheep, chickens, and six ducks. Call Bob and Vicki Donley at [email protected] Call to schedule a private tour of the farm or register for a class.
The majority of the herd are rescues. The Donleys enjoy visitors. They welcome boy/girl scouts, special interest groups, etc. for a small fee. The farm and mill are family owned and run. Their mill began processing fiber in May 2016.
This dream was no easy task. It took a lot of pencil pushing, paper filing, tears, and yes – arguments. If you have alpaca fiber or possibly have wool, angora, camel, etc. they can process your fiber. Stop by the farm and check out the yarn shop. They have a nice supply of yarn, roving, alpaca apparel, and other alpaca items. A big thank you to the family and friends that have been supporting their endeavors in this journey.
