Published: September 25, 2009 12:18 am      

MIDDLEPORT: National Alpaca Farm Days events this weekend

Eighteen months ago, Mary Ann Stroka and her husband, Terry Andress, were mesmerized by some strange-looking animals at Andes Dandies on neighboring Salt Road. Funny name for a farm, funny-looking creatures.

Now the Johnson Road couple have their own funny-looking animals and their own funny name: A Stroka Gene-Us Alpacas.

On Saturday and Sunday, people are invited to participate in National Alpaca Farm Days. A Stroka Gene-Us will offer farm tours, alpaca handling, alpaca fleece demonstration and crafts for children. Lunch will be available, and the farm store will be open.

Alpacas are natives of the Andes Mountains and make their natural home in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador, where the altitudes go to 16,000 feet above sea level. The animals are noted for their long fleece and they flourish in the cold weather. In the summer, they suffer from heat stress and have to be kept cool.

Stroka Gene-Us bought its first alpacas from Sue Zelazny and Donna Masters at nearby Andes Dandies, and now they have 14 alpacas on their 5-acre farm that borders the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (Alabama swamps). The alpacas range in age from two months to 14 years.

They are members of the Alpaca Breeders of Western New York. “We’re friendly. We all work together,” said Stroka, who also is the Middleport postmaster. “It’s about the animals ... It’s not competitive. This is a fun thing.”

Alpacas are gentle, but won’t come up to you, Stroka said. She likes the fact that owners don’t have to kill them, like livestock, but just have to shear them.

Stroka Gene-Us sheared 57 pounds of fiber at the end of May from nine animals. The breeders pay a mini-mill to process the fiber and then sell it, themselves.

The cost begins at $2 an ounce and goes up. There is a mixture of colors, and the fiber is used to make sweaters, scarfs, gloves and other apparel. An alpaca jacket may cost $500. Alpacas have longer fibers than wool from sheep.

Hunters, fishermen and mail carriers like the extreme socks, which go for $20 to $25 a pair. Some socks are imported from Peru, where it is a common cottage industry.

“They keep moisture away from the foot. They are a mixture of colors and they’re not scratchy like wool,” Stroka said.

The animals may be priced at $100 for gelded male up to a record $1 million for a breeding male. They are registered with the Alpaca Registry, and Stroka Gene-Us alpacas trace their heritage to Peru and Chile.

For the farm days, Stroka plans artisan demonstrations and Peruvian music playing in the store.

Alpacas are not quite pets, but are given names. Stroka Gene-Us has Prince, Magnum, Maggie, Mariska and Hermione, among others.

George and Diane Schena of 7403 Tonawanda Creek Road were among the first to breed alpacas in the county. Their Alpacas of Niagara farm will offer live music and other activities during Alpaca Farm Days.

Andes Dandies on 5245 Salt Road will also take part in farm days.

Contact reporter Bill Wolcott at 439-9222, ext. 6246.

ALPACA FARM DAYS

• WHEN: Saturday and Sunday

• WHERE: Area farms, including A Stroka Gene-Us on Johnson Road in Middleport

• WHY: Increase awareness of alpacas.

• WHAT: An alpaca is a South American mountain animal, noted for its warm fiber