Convention center to host first show of its kind in Nevada
By MARIA PHELAN VIEW STAFF WRITER
Advertisement
Think of it as the creepy, crawly and sometimes cuddly convention.
This weekend, the Henderson Convention Center will host West Coast Reptile Shows' exotic pet and reptile show, bringing hundreds of unusual and hard to find critters to the valley. Locals are invited to stop by for a look, or possibly take home a scaly or furry new friend.
Kevin Dunn, promoter of West Coast Reptile Shows, said this will be the first time a show will be held in Nevada. If the show is a success, he hopes to make it an annual event.
"It seems like a good area for this type of show," he said. "There's a good population in the Vegas area, and not a lot of reptile and exotic pet stores, but there is a lot of interest in reptiles -- we ship a lot of animals to this area -- so I thought the show would be a good fit."
Dunn said vendors that breed and raise exotic animals across the country will be present.
Vendors will sell snakes, including boa constrictors and pythons, more than 100 different types of exotic tarantulas and scorpions, including Goliath bird eating tarantulas, geckos, chameleons, including panther chameleons, Sulcata tortoises and red-eyed tree frogs.
Several companies that manufacture cages and supplies also will have booths at the show, including T-Rex, Zoo Med Laboratories Inc. and Creative Habitats.
Dunn said the show will include a visit from Big Bertha, an 18-foot Burmese python.
"She's not for sale, but she will be on display during the weekend," he said. "We will have a huge variety of snakes that are for sale though, priced between $5 and $10,000."
In addition to reptiles, several local pet stores and breeders are expected to bring exotic mammals to the show, including ferrets, Sugar Gliders and possibly even monkeys.
Dunn said the show will include educational booths, including one from the Children's Nature Museum. But vendors will be able to provide plenty of information as well.
"Most of the animals at the show will be captive born," he said. "Most of the people selling them breed a certain kind of animal for sale and are experts on the animals they are selling."
In addition to serving as the creator and promoter of West Coast Reptile Shows, Dunn owns a pet store in California called Radical Reptiles, which opened in 1999.
After opening his store, he started to attend exotic pet shows put on by other companies and eventually decided to try his hand at hosting shows. Three years ago, West Coast Reptile Shows put on its first show.
"These shows are really big on the East Coast, but on the West Coast they've never really been that big," he said. "But there is a market for the shows on the West Coast, so I decided to start the show to meet that market."
In addition to local vendors, Dunn expects several vendors from California and Arizona to bring animals for this weekend's show.
Though the company mainly hosts shows in California, Dunn expects about 40 vendors to attend the show at the Henderson Convention Center.
Ken Foose, owner of Exotic Pets, a local store, will participate in the show as a vendor, but said he's not sure yet which animals he'll be taking.
"Most of the vendors will come from out of town, so I'll be able to scout out what they have before the show starts and bring whatever they don't already have," he said.
Foose, who will have his animals set up at the T-Rex booth, said he will most likely take many kinds of snakes and turtles to the show, as well as some Sugar Gliders, small nocturnal marsupials that resemble squirrels. He may bring flying squirrels.
This weekend Foose also will have a big sale at his store, located at 2105 N. Decatur Blvd.
He said he expects a to see an interesting selection of animals at the show.
"All of the guys that will be vendors at this show are very experienced at this," he said. "They do lots of these shows. They'll have animals I don't have, and that's what I'm looking forward to -- finding some things I don't have."
Foose said he will probably take baby water monitors, baby African spurred tortoises and bearded dragons along with many baby snakes.
"We'll be taking lots of baby animals to the show," he said. "A lot of the bigger ones we have here at the store are too big to take."
Though reptiles and exotic pets are Foose's hobby in addition to his business, he thinks the show will be a fun experience for everyone in the community, whether they own exotic pets or not.
"People who are interested in just looking at the animals should definitely come out," he said. "It's going to be like my store, but at least ten times bigger. It's going to be worth the admission just to see all the animals, and it's a great weekend afternoon thing to do with the kids. It's perfect because they love kids at these shows, and you might even find a turtle or frog to take home."
The West Coast Reptile Show will run Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Henderson Convention Center, 200 Water Street. Admission is $7.50 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
