It's showtime at the 10th annual Alpacafest.

The Ohio Alpaca Breeders Association will host Alpacafest, one of the premier Alpaca Shows in America, Nov. 10 and 11 at the Ohio Expo Center, 717 E. 17th Ave.

This free world class event showcases more than 1,000 prize alpacas from across the country, in halter, fleece and performance competitions. Attendees are invited meet the alpacas, talk with vendors and shop for beautiful apparel from luxurious alpaca fiber.

Alpacas, cousins to the llama, are native to the Andean Mountain range of South America, particularly Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.

Alpacas were first imported into the United States in 1984. Since then, the alpaca industry has grown steadily, on average 22 percent a year, according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA), the backbone of the alpaca industry. Current estimates total more than 100,000 registered alpacas with the Alpaca Registry, Inc. (ARI) in the United States and more than 4,000 AOBA members in North America.

There are two types of alpacas in the United States. Although almost physically identical, what distinguishes the two types of alpacas is their fiber. The Huacaya (wa-Ki'-ah) is the more common of the two and has a fluffy, extremely fine coat. The Suri is the rarer of the two and has fiber that is silky and resembles pencil-locks.

Adult alpacas stand at approximately 36 inches at the withers and generally weigh between 150 and 200 pounds. They do not have horns, hooves, claws or incisors. Alpacas are alert, intelligent, curious and predictable. Social animals that seek companionship, they communicate most commonly by softly humming.

Alpacas are shorn, without harm, every 12 to 18 months. They produced five to ten pounds of luxurious fiber. Long ago, alpaca fiber was reserved for royalty. Today it is purchased in its raw fleece form by hand-spinners and fiber artists. Knitters buy it as yarn.

To find out more about the Ohio Alpaca Breeders Association visit www.alpaca-farms-breeders.com.