How Loni Blumerich Started Frosty Ridge Alpacas

Imagine. You are recently divorced, over 50 years old with four kids, working in the non-profit sector for $13 an hour, and you suddenly recognize that you will have nothing to live on when you retire. What do you do?

This may not work for everyone, but Loni Blumerich started an alpaca farm.

Loni (rhymes with Tony) bought the property in 2004. “I realized I was not going to be able to support myself in old age, she said. "I wanted a home-based business and wondered what I could do." 

She thought about raising sheep, "but I am allergic to sheep, cows, horses and other livestock," she said.  Her allergic reactions triggered the asthma she’d had since she was 14.

So on one occasion she was sitting in a hospital waiting room and there was literally nothing to read except one Farm & Ranch Magazine. When she picked up the magazine she saw an article about a couple raising alpacas. The story gave her the impression that raising alpaca was lucrative and that she would be able to quit her day jobs. 

"I learned about an Alpaca show in Green Bay and decided to go." 

There were 200 alpaca there and she loved the smell. The included seminars which she eagerly attended. Afterwards, she began researching the alpaca business.

"At the time I had a house in Duluth Heights. It was a small place and didn't lend itself to raising alpaca," she said. "Especially on my small salary." 

When she Googled houses in the country this place on Maple Grove Road came up, a house with seven acres in Solway Township just west of the Midway Road. The house seemed neglected and uncared for, but it interested her. 

Her realtor said that despite her income she could qualify for the mortgage, which prompted her to put an offer on the house $1,000 higher than the first offer that had already been placed. 

The value of her Duluth Heights home had been improved under her ownership. “I’d done enough cosmetics to make a downpayment [on this place],” she explained.

The property here in Solway had been a cattle farm at one time, but the barn had burned in the 40s.

Because you can raise 4 to 8 alpaca per acre, she and her new husband Horst fenced off a portion of land and put stalls in the garage. After taking care of the overgrown pasture, they were established and ready to grow. 

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Horst (in red cap) welcomes gift shop visitors. 

Loni now lives with her husband Horst whom she met in Germany and even dated when she was young. Her grandmother lived in Germany and she would go visit for six weeks every summer to maintain relations with her family there. 

Blumerich was actually raised in Hanover, New Jersey, near Morristown. After attending Drew University she went on to George Washington University, inside the D.C. Beltway, where she graduated. 

Although Loni and Horst went their separate ways and married other partners, Horst stayed in touch with Loni’s mother. After both were divorced, Loni sent Horst an email wishing her a happy 50^th birthday. Shortly after he came to America, and things unfolded from there.

They went to alpaca shows for a year in order to learn as much as they could at the seminars. When they were ready they purchased six alpacas. The boys and girls must be kept apart, so they devised systems for this. 

As they grew the herd they created a store in the back of the house to sell alpaca related products (yarn, scarves, hats, sweaters and more) and other products. All profits from the store go back into caring for the alpacas. They love giving tours and while I was there interviewing Loni, several cars pulled in and Horst went out to show the families their animals, which now number 28 alpaca and around a llama.

The farm specializes in sales, breeding services, agisting, fiber, alpaca beans, and other alpaca-related gifts, deocrations and biproducts.

Follow Frosty Ridge Alpacas here on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/FrostyRidgeAlpacas

 

Santa Claus is coming to the Frosty Ridge Alpaca Farm!

Just around the corner from us is a very cool alpaca farm called Frosty Ridge Alpacas. When our grandkids were here this summer we stopped over there and the kids got to feed alpacas. It was a "meet and greet" type of event and fun.

This past week I learned that even Santa Claus likes to stop by to feed the alpacas, so I'm sending this out to invite everyone with children, or who is still a child at heart, to come out on December 10 or 17 and see Santa Claus. I do not know if he will have his reindeer, but I do know that lots of alpaca there will be happy to see Santa and children can enjoy Santa's visit as well... 

The people who own Frosty Ridge are Loni (rhymes with Tony) and Horst Blumerich. If you live in Solway you may already know Horst. He's the fellow with the thick German accent who manages the Recycle Center by the Munger Fire Station and Town Hall. 

In addition to the farm they have a gift shop where they sell yarn, hats, scarves, sweaters ad other alpaca related products. Loni will share the benefits of alpaca over other kinds of fabric, and very likely offer you some hot chocolate.

Sometime soon I will tell the story of how Frosty Ridge Alpacas came to be, but for now, I simply want to help get the word out that Santa Claus is coming!

Frosty Ridge is a stone's throw from Hermantown on Maple Grove Road. It's very easy to get here. If you come through Proctor, you can drive out Highway 2. When you get to the Midway Road light, go north (right) till you come to the roundabout. Go around the circle and head west. You will pass three roads (Susie and I live on the Sandberg Road that spears off to the left) and when you go up that next hill start to slow and the the alpaca farm entrance will be on your right. There are signs on both sides of the road, so you shouldn't have a problem.  If you pass the Caribou Lake Road you went too far.

Pine Not: The Pine Knot Is Back... Under New Management

Installing the new signage.

An old friend has returned to the city of Cloquet. The Pine Knot News is back.

A Fox 21 Online story quoted news editor Jana Peterson as saying, “When everybody picks their favorite media source that reinforces the opinions they already have, this is a time we need a media source that’s not political that people can just read to find out about their neighbors, find out about the school district, the city council,” said Pine Knot News Editor Jana Peterson.

One of the first writers whom I'd gotten to know when I moved to Duluth was the late Ed Beaver, who used to be an editor at the former Pine Knot maybe two decades ago. Eventually the Pine Knot was replaced by the Pine Journal as Cloquet's primary local news provider, owned by Forum Communications, a media firm out of Fargo, North Dakota.

According to Peterson, the inspiration to re-ignite the Pine Knot "came from a desire to start a local paper after the Pine Journal closed its office" here in the community it is intended to serve, citing "various other corporate moves that made it feel like we needed a paper that cared again."

This past Thursday the Pine Knot News held an open house to celebrate its return to the community, albeit under new management. The public was invited, and even Santa Claus showed up, so it was a very special occasion.

The Pine Knot is bullish on their future and the future of Cloquet & surrounding communities.
(This variation on the Wall Street bull is down the block across the street.)

Here are some shots from 

Thursday's Open House @ The Pine Knot

The office was bustling when I arrived.

Santa dropped by to greet the young ones.

I found there were even some angels present.

No chestnuts roasting, though there was an open fire crackling.

A series of interesting paintings by Ken Hanson decorated the wall.

The Pine Knot News is a weekly paper published on Fridays with its office located at 122 Avenue C in Cloquet MN, a couple blocks from the one-of-a-kind Frank Lloyd Wright filling station.

The home team on staff includes publisher Pete Radosovich, editor Jana Peterson, business manager Rose Chu, production manager Debbie Zime and ad manager Ivan Hohnstadt. You can find out more about what's happening at the Pine Knot News here at their website: www.pineknotnews.com/

Wishing you the best!

* * * *

Speaking of buying and supporting local, this Friday there is a Holiday Market 

at the Oldenburg House. with (if my numbers are correct) as many as 20

local artisans and creatives selling their wares from Noon till 8:00 p.m.

 It's that time of year as Christmas draws near.  

Santa Stories

While visiting Bentleyville last week I spent a short time watching the various children interact with Santa Claus. The Bentleyville Santa was as charming as any and despite the chilly night the children were warmed.

Somewhere I saw an article that children were asking for different kinds of presents from Santa this year. Many wanted their parents to find jobs. And while I was taking a few photos there I heard one little girls say, "I would like world peace." No doubt it would be a good thing if Santa could deliver on that one.