JOURNAL STAR (Peoria, Illinois) 27 June 05 Slithering scene - Vendors and enthusiasts share their love of all things reptilian at expo (Kelly Mahoney)
East Peoria: Breanne Sisson spoke rather calmly Saturday, considering a 4-foot-long snake was tightening its grip around her torso and neck.
"I almost grew up with snakes," said Sisson, who lives in Joliet. "We have a bunch of babies at home."
Sisson and her friends traveled to the East Peoria Convention Center for the first Midwest Reptile Expo and casually wore the snake as an accessory. Vendors from the Peoria area, as well as St. Louis and Chicago, gathered to display and sell a variety of exotic pets, including snakes, lizards, turtles and spiders.
The expo will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. every fourth Sunday.
Organizer Jason Johnson said more than 500 people came to the event, and about 35 vendors sold pets and supplies. Johnson said the quality of pets and the knowledge of the vendors sets this expo apart.
"I don't think the pet shops realize there is a huge exotic pet market," Johnson said. "You go to a pet shop, and you're going to get a kid who says 'I really don't know how to take care of this.' These people know."
The vendors also offered a buy back and trade service for those who realize their pets are too big or too much of a responsibility.
"I just hope those who buy animals that get big come back and trade them rather than let them go," Johnson said.
Sarah Blanch of Mossville brought her children, who are 3, 5 and 11 months old, to the expo.
"My husband's a lizard freak, and my kids really love it," Blanch said. "We have a turtle at home, and they like to see what else is out there. They don't really like the snakes a lot, but they really like the lizards and turtles."
The Blanch children may have been in the minority. Dillon Kieser, 6, of Trivoli said his favorite thing at the expo was the larger snakes. Paul Yancick of Peoria said his 8-year-old son, Egon, is a great helper when it comes to the family's seven snake breeder pairs.
"He's my little helper," Yancick said. "We clean the cages together."
Yancick said he was happy to see the expo bring together reasonably priced pet supplies, including frozen mice.
"This was actually a godsend," Yancick said. "If you buy mice around here, you'll pay three times more."
But Yancick said he didn't attend to buy any more pets. "I'll be coming back when I need more mice," Yancick said. "(My wife) told me five snakes ago she'd divorce me if I got another one so I don't think I'll push my luck."
Vendors and enthusiasts share their love of all things reptilian at expo