b'CAMPGROUND PROFILE BY JEFF CRIDERLlamas are in the campgrounds name, but Lazy Llama Campground Tennessees Lazy Llama Camp-also offers campers a wide variety of other activities, too.ground Offers Campers UniqueChancetoExploreFarming,Gardening and LlamasOneofthemostuniquecamp- before going into politics.groundsinthecountryistheLazy Ayers charges guests a fee for theirLlama Campground in rural eastern owncustomizedStorytellingLlamaTennessee,justtwomilesfromthe Trek.birthplace of Davy Crockett, the famous Some of the stories are told at theTennessee politician, pioneer and sol- entrance of a small cave on the farm,dier who was killedin 1836 at the Battle he said, adding that some of his mostof the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. popular events are the Spooky LlamaA retired high school principal with a Trails and Tales in the weeks leading updeep love of history and llamas, Jerry to Halloween.Ayersdelights his guests with personal- While Ayers focus on storytelling is aized Llama Treks in which he leads unique draw, his three-year-old camp-families or other small groups into the ground in Chuckey is only 15 miles fromwoods along with several of the roughly historic Jonesborough, Tennessees old-50 llamas that he raises on his ranch est town, which promotes itself as Thealong with other farm animals, includ- Storytelling Capital of the World withing two goats, two miniature donkeys, an annual storytelling festival in Octo-chickens and a miniature horse. ber,aswellasotherspecialeventsAs guests follow him through poplar, throughout the year.oak and wild cherry trees with llamas in But while Ayers has plenty of fasci-tow, Ayers shares little known historical natinglocalhistoricalanecdotestoaccounts about Civil War skirmishes, make his Llama Treks unique, not all ofDavy Crockett and Andrew Johnson, theactivitiesatLazyLlamaCamp-Abraham Lincolnsvice president, who ground are focused on history. Ayersran a tailor shop in the neighboring wife,Carolyn,isahighschoolarttown of Greeneville, nine miles away, teacher who provides classes in weavingand fiber arts, using homemade yarnspun from the wool of their llamas.My wife has an art studio with fourspinning wheels and two looms, Ayerssaid. The campers can come down andwatch her demonstrate spinning andlearn how to spin yarn from our llamafiber.Carolyn also teaches classes in paint-ing and drawing. Weekend classes areintroductoryandprovidedfreeofcharge. But customized art and spin-Jerry Ayers said the campground, right next ning classes are also available for a feeto their Llama farm, made sense when they to campers and the general public, whoopened it in 2017. also can purchase gifts and decorativeitemsfromthellama-themedcampstore. Carolyn Ayers plans to offer an ex-panded range of classes when she re-tires from high school teaching in June.But while history and storytelling areunique draws, most guests come to seethe llamas, a South American relative ofa camel, minus the hump. Llamas arewidely used in the Andes mountains ofSouth America as domesticated packanimals and are highly prized for theirwool.Most of our guests are from the city,Jerry Ayers said. Theyve never been upclose to a chicken and theyve neverbeen up close to a llama.Ayersalsooffershisguestssome-thing else they cant find at most camp-grounds: An organic vegetable and herbgarden.Im a Master Gardener and we havea 30- by 60-foot box garden, he said. Iplant everything, and the campers cango down to the garden and pick theirown fresh tomatoes, carrots, spinach,andcucumbers.Wehaveachickencoop, too. So, they can go gather upsome eggs for breakfast.Guests are also provided opportuni-ties to feed apple slices, carrots, andbread to other farm animals, includinggoats, miniature donkeys and a minia-turehorse.TheLazyLlamaCamp-26 -April 2021Woodalls Campground Management'