On October 27, the Penn Wynne Library held their second Alpacalypse!

Library Assistant Mathew Maisano takes an alpaca selfie

Two alpacas from Woodside Alpacas in Souderton, Pennsylvania arrived in a minivan with their handler/owner Carolyn Martin. Cocoa and Frosty paraded through the library into the meeting room, to the delight of all the children and adults who were waiting to greet them. Patrons took selfies, pictures of their children and lots of pictures of the alpacas. Carolyn answered questions about alpaca care and described how they are sheared once a year for their dense wool.

The library had originally planned to have the event outdoors but the weather was uncooperative. A tarp was placed on the floor of the meeting room and they hoped for the best! There were several accidents but cleanup was easy and the kids thought it was hilarious that the event was now an “alpoopalypse.”

The board had a raffle basket of alpaca/llama items, including a blanket from Five Below, file folders and zip pouches of llamas from Staples and other goodies. They sold “I survived the Alpacalypse” buttons and handed out flyers for the next fund raiser. It was an easy program that appealed to all ages, from toddlers to senior citizens and we will definitely do it again next year.  Over 400 people came to see the alpacas this year and over 500 last year when it was held outside.

The day after the event in 2017, a patron said he was driving by the library on Saturday and saw a llama coming out the front door, followed by another llama and that they got into a minivan! He said it was something he NEVER would have expected to see! I agreed it was quite remarkable and so much fun for all of us.

submitted by:
Matthew Maisano
Library Assistant
Penn Wynne Library