The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
ALPACA-LYPSE NOW! AT MENTOR LIBRARY
Library holds its first-ever meet the alpacas event
Families got the chance to warm up with hot chocolate and meet the alpacas of Sunnimoor Farm March 7 at Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch on 8215 Mentor Ave.
Families and community members from all over came out in support of the library’s first-ever alpacas event.
Along with a meet and greet with the alpacas, families also got to listen to Sunnimoor owner Mary Reed discuss the care and feeding of alpacas and the associated textile industry. Sunnimoor Farm is located in Geauga County.
Reed was joined by Anthony Stachowski, who has worked with and owned alpacas for decades. Stachowski said he had struck gold with what he calls a “huggable investment.”
Stachowski, 47, who recently retired from his veterinarian practice, was one of the first people to own alpacas in this country, he said. When 150 Chilean alpacas were first imported to North America in 1984, Stachowski bought 50.
Amy Senning, Adult Information Services manager for Mentor Library, spoke about the idea and the inspiration behind the event.
“It was a dream of mine to have a program here, and we found somebody willing to come and do it.” — Amy Senning, Adult Information Services manager for Mentor Library
“A couple of years ago, I found out another library in another part of the United States did one kind of based on the Scandinavian hygge, which is based around calming principles, and being cozy. They did one called warm and fuzzy alpacas and hot chocolate; they also did a community read of that book about hygge. We didn’t do the community read, but we just loved the idea of bringing alpacas to the library. “
“It was a dream of mine to have a program here, and we found somebody willing to come and do it.”
“Just for families and the hot chocolate aspect and just so the people could hang out with their community and learn more about alpacas, their personalities, what it’s like to have a farm, but just learn about something they just don’t know.”
Jason Lea, Community Outreach Coordinator for Mentor Library, spoke about the importance and emphasis the event has on educating the children in the community.
“Anything that encourages learning,” Lea said. “This is an experience that’s novel to the people. there are some places this may be typical sightseeing, but for us it’s special.
“The children have a chance to learn about the alpacas and the textile industry that’s associated with that, and even learning about how to care for the animals themselves,” he added.
Lea went on to talk about seeing the parents and children interact with the animals is what it’s all about and the driving force behind the event.
“This is the first time we’ve done something like this. We’ve had animals out here before, in fact, that is one of the things that having the increased green space allows us to do,” he said.