Find out where you can meet some alpacas — and do some Christmas shopping

Aqeel Hisham, Gardner News
·4 min read

HUBBARDSTON — Country Roads Christmas is now celebrating its 16th annual holiday tour — a month-long event that began on Nov. 5 and will run through Dec. 5, giving customers who shop at all 16 different participating businesses a chance to win gift cards worth up to $800 in value.

Established in 2005, Country Roads Christmas is a collection of 16 family-owned businesses located in several towns within north central Massachusetts: Barre, Hubbardston, Petersham, Phillipston, Templeton and Winchendon. Among the 16 businesses are farm stands, craft shops and eateries that offer customers goods ranging from handmade crafts, home-baked goods, even locally sourced garments. One of the businesses that is part of the Country Roads Christmas Tour is Plain View Farm, a 7-acre farm in Hubbardston that houses two llamas and 36 alpacas.

Plain View Farm owner Keith Tetreault is shown with his alpacas in Hubbardston.
Plain View Farm owner Keith Tetreault is shown with his alpacas in Hubbardston.

How the tour works

Customers can pick up a stamp card at any of the participating shops and receive a stamp from each shop after making their purchases. Once completed and having 16 stamps on the stamp card, customers can either drop it off at any of the 16 locations or mail them to CRC, PO Box 396, Templeton, MA, 01468, before Dec. 6.

Alpaca farm a labor of love

Located at 130 Gardner Road (Route 68), Plain View Farm has been operated by two passionate owners, Keith and Debbie Tetreault, since 2010.

When asked about the initial purpose of the farm, one word crossed owner Debbie Tetreault’s mind: love.

“We just love alpacas. When we started Plain View Farm 11 years ago, we had no idea that it would turn into [something this big]. I would never change any of it,” said Debbie Tetreault.

Cardigans and scarves made from alpaca fiber are shown at Plain View Farm in Hubbardston.
Cardigans and scarves made from alpaca fiber are shown at Plain View Farm in Hubbardston.

The farm opens every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. year round, and tours are scheduled through appointment. But for the month of November, Plain View Farm will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during those same hours in conjunction with the Country Roads Christmas Tour.

Aside from an alpaca tour, Plain View Farm also provides services such as breeding, agistment, shearing, consultation and owner training. However, the main attraction of this business would be its gift shop that sells products made with alpaca fiber.

According to Debbie Tetreault, alpaca fiber is warmer than wool and is hypoallergenic. The alpacas get sheared every May because “they do not like the heat.” Plain View Farm then works closely with a company in Fall River to turn the fleeces into products such as cardigans, socks and gloves.

Aside from using in-house raw materials for their products, some of the goods that are sold at Plain View Farm are made in Peru.

Garments that are locally made out of alpaca fiber are sold at Plain View Farm in Hubbardston.
Garments that are locally made out of alpaca fiber are sold at Plain View Farm in Hubbardston.

“The animals originated from Peru and we’ve traveled down there a few times, we know who’s making our products,” said Debbie Tetreault.

While the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge negative impact on a lot of small family-owned businesses over the past year, Plain View Farm was not one of them.

“People want to get outside and do something without [sacrificing their safety] by being near a lot of people. Here, they can do just that,” Debbie Tetreault said.

Then and Now: How many sweet memories does this Hubbardston place evoke?

One of the services that might be intriguing for some people is the farm’s “Yoga with alpacas and llamas” event that occurs on Sundays from 10 to 11 a.m. However, this event was only offered from June 18 to Nov. 7 as the weather got colder.

“They [customers] come here Sunday morning and we go down to the field where it’s very quiet and private. We have a very great instructor and the animals just eat and graze around you. They’re very quiet and calming,” said Debbie Tetreault. “It’s been phenomenal. People love it and the animals love it.”

Plain View Farm is also a part of Harvest Hosts, a program in which travelers from all around the world can park their RV overnight for unique stays. This program offers customers a wide array of hosts from different fields of businesses — wineries, breweries, distilleries, farms, museums, golf courses and many more.

Plain View Farm in Hubbardston has custom woodwork that was made by a local company.
Plain View Farm in Hubbardston has custom woodwork that was made by a local company.

Plain View Farm has hosted many guests that took part in this program.

“It’s great for people that like to travel, especially during COVID-19. We’ve got people from all over the country,” said Debbie Tetreault.

Plain View Farm can be reached at 978-820-1199 and on Facebook.

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The participating locations in the Country Roads Christmas Tour are: Dandelions LLC and Hartman’s Herb Farm in Barre; The Country Store, Petersham Art Center and Valcourt Sugar Shack in Petersham; Red Apple Farm in Phillipston; Giacomo’s Gourmet Foods LLC, A Thyme and A Place and Plain View Farm in Hubbardston; Back In Tyme, KRO’s on the Common, Valley View Farm, Valley Florist & Greenhouse, Country Bumpkin’ Antiques and The Kitchen Garden in Templeton; and Smith’s Country Cheese in Winchendon.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Plain View Farm in Hubbardston a part of the Country Roads Christmas Tour