Stephanie Glyptis judges females at the 2009 Mid America Alpaca show.
I always have mixed feelings at the end of show. As much as I look forward to going, by Sunday I’m eager to wrap it up and head home. Once I get there, I ponder the experience way more than I should have and pine for the excitement of the next one while luxuriating in the comforts of home. Go figure.
Now that I’m merging back into regular life, I have to say that the Mid-America Alpaca Association knows how to put on a show. It’s consistently well-run, friendly to exhibitors, and accommodating for unforeseen events. Like our Colorado snowstorm. It dumped 18″ to 20″ during the days leading up to the show. Some Colorado breeders cancelled. Others left late on Friday to arrive after official check in hours. My animals did not arrive until 8 p.m. and I think I count that as ahead of much of the Colorado crowd. But vet check was still open as was color check.
Even more amazing, this show is basically organized and run by four farms year after year. Besides having to set up their own stalls and show their own animals, they arrive in the wee hours of the morning before check in and stay late, exhausting energy reserves as the rest of us are just starting to tap them. A hospitality table awaits exhibitors during set up – sandwiches, drinks, and home baked cookies all offered to sustain us as we set up our displays.
But on to the show itself. This year the judges were Stephanie Glyptis (females) and Kathy Klay (males). Both seemed comfortable in the ring and complete and consistent in their assessment of the animals. Both gave excellent oral reasons. Having never been at a show with these two judges before, I found no reason to complain and would gladly show in front of them at future shows. The only complaint I have is the venue itself. Bright overhead lights are focused in a strip across the front of the ring, creating a blinding glare and narrow range for good visibility for the judges. These were confident enough to rearrange the animals as needed to ensure the best light for the animal being assessed, but obviously even light would have been best. The show ring building is also open to the outside and tends to be frigid in the mornings and sometimes the afternoon, though the exhibitor area is climate controlled. I feel a bit wimpy at pointing this out. After all, the judges and show staff have to freeze in there all day, sometimes with a light sweater or blazer. I truck in just for my classes and then hustle out again.
Saturday evening was a meet ‘n greet at the host hotel (which is attached to the venue) followed by the show banquet. I ended up going out to dinner with friends at the Topeka Steakhouse. We got rather bad directions and spent quite a bit of time backtracking. But it turned out to be the perfect choice. Excellent food and a laid back down-home atmosphere, it was just what our weary foursome was looking for. We stuffed ourselves with smiles on our faces, leaving us tired and overfed for the last day of the show. Just the way it should be.
