IN THIS ISSUE: pg 4 pgs 9, 11 pgs 11-20 SEE YOU AT: - ariLIST

Affiliate News 36
■ Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico Alpaca Breeders (TxOLAN)
TxOLAN is growing by leaps and bounds! We
now have in excess of 100 members and look
forward to welcoming many more in the coming
year.
The 2005 show season got off to a great start in
the TxOLAN area with the Sun City Sizzle Show in
El Paso. With the now-notorious relaxed, warm
atmosphere of the Sun City Sizzle, the show
proved to be as successful as ever with judge
Diane Timmerman working tirelessly to judge
365 entries.
The 6th Annual TxOLAN Alpaca Spectacular
took place February 18-20, 2005 at the Will Rogers
Memorial Center, Fort Worth, Texas. With the
increased number of entries for the show we were
able to graduate to the larger show arena, allowing
us to run two rings at once and providing
much improved spectator facilities to encourage
people to stay and watch the show. Kristin
Buhrmann of Canada returned for her second year
of judging the halter section of the show, while
Tim Lavan of Maine joined us for the first time to
judge the fleece show and performance and
obstacle classes.
Attendees at the show were able to take part in
a seminar by Dr. Norm Evans, DVM, and a wide
variety of free lectures of interest to alpaca breeders
both new and old were available throughout
the day on both Saturday and Sunday.
As always, the Saturday evening dinner was a
great success with the live auction causing much
excitement, and at times amusement, for those
involved. At the time of writing this, the final figures
from the silent and live auctions are still
being verified, but will be shared with the membership
in our next update.
The TxOLAN Alpaca Spectacular is a show that
increases in popularity each year. The show would
not be possible without the generosity of the
members who volunteer their time and skills to
make sure that the show is a success year after
year. TxOLAN would like to encourage all members
to consider volunteering to assist with the
2006 TxOLAN Alpaca Spectacular. As the show
grows the need for volunteers increases – and
those that have previously volunteered deserve a
well-earned break! Volunteering for the show gives
members the opportunity to learn, share their
skills, and contribute to the success of TxOLAN.
The TxOLAN board has been working hard to
enhance membership benefits. The TxOLAN web
site (www.txolan.org) has been given a complete
overhaul and is now up and running with a new
look. The new site was designed to improve ease
of navigation, overall eye appeal and search
engine placement. One new feature of the new
site is the herd sire page that allows members the
opportunity to advertise their herd sire services
and get a good idea of the outstanding herd sires
available in the TxOLAN area. Research is currently
being conducted into the possibility of being
able to offer items commonly used by alpacas
breeders at discounted prices as a benefit of
TxOLAN membership. The board will keep members
posted on any developments in this area.
For alpaca owners in the TxOLAN area who are
not yet members of TxOLAN but who are interested
in joining, details are available at the TxOLAN
website www.txolan.org
Contact: Rosemary Metcalf, windrush@
plateautel.net or (505) 683-5177