Bear Creek farm hosts Alpaca Shearing Day Saturday
By Erik Buchinger
Kruzickis Kemo Kritters’ fifth annual Alpaca Shearing Day will return Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m.
Kruzickis Kemo Kritters, W9813 Cherry Road, Bear Creek, started while Dennis Kruzicki was going through chemotherapy for leukemia and lymphoma. His passion for alpacas grew, and he established an alpaca farm.
The farm currently holds 36 alpacas with four babies coming in August.
When Dennis died in November 2017, Kruzicki’s wife Josie Kruzicki decided to carry on his passion.
“It’s his legacy,” his wife Josie said. “It’s what he and I started, and it has to be continued for the health of the alpacas. Why not continue to make it a public event? People are limited as to when and where they can see the alpacas. It gives them another activity to come in and see them. I have to do this.”
Josie said there was no hesitation to continue on with the alpaca farm following Dennis’s death.
“I was asked multiple times at his funeral service if I would stay,” Josie said. “I said, ‘Of course. This is my home. This is my life, and it’s what I have lived.’ So many people say it’s a lot of work. Yes, I have a full-time job in addition to caring for the animals.”
Josie regularly receives help from neighbors as well as Lisa and John Bork.
“They love coming out and helping because it’s like therapy for them,” Josie said. “If I have something going on, I can call them up and see if they can do the chores for me, and they come right over.”
Josie said she appreciates all the help to keep the farm going.
Scott Bellile photo
“I’m not doing it by myself, and I would never consider not having the animals,” Josie said. “Could I downsize in the future? Possibly. I’m not getting any younger, and doing this does wear on me, but at this point, they’re my life. They’re my therapy now that I’ve lost him.”
Josie said she took extra steps to make sure the farm is running more efficiently.
“Even though we didn’t know what we were doing when we started, we have facilities set up amazingly well so it flows perfectly,” Josie said. “I’ve done some things to keep it more organized with projects in the barn to make it more efficient for me to handle.”
The public is invited Saturday to watch and learn about alpaca shearing, fiber processing, raw fiber to yarn with a spinner, blacksmith skills and other craft booths.
Grace Lutheran Church will offer a food booth and a cash raffle totaling $1,000 for its new sanctuary.
“The public looks forward to it,” Josie said. “It’s something that Dennis told me a couple months prior to his passing that he was building it all up so I would have something after he was gone.”
Previous shearing day events drew anywhere from 500 to 700 attendees, Josie said.
“They flow throughout the day and just come and go,” Josie said. “As long as the rain holds off and we get dry weather coming through, the hay field will be parkable. People may come as long as they want and browse around the farm to see the activities and take off whenever they want to.”
People are welcome to pet the animals.
“Selfies with alpacas are adorable, and everybody loves that,” Josie said.
“With everything Dennis did, I try to do just as much as him, and I will continue,” Josie said. “Unless something happens to me physically, I will be doing this for years to come.”