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Maverick holds Twizzler, a boa constrictor that was shown off by a vendor.
Jack Barnwell/News-Miner
Young reptile enthusiasts examine several snakes at a vendor table during the inaugural ScaleFest held at the Pioneer Park Centennial Center on Saturday. See Page A6 for more.
ALL PHOTOS BY Jack Barnwell/News-Miner
Twizzler, a boa constrictor, becomes the star of the show at the ScaleFest reptile expo on Saturday at the Pioneer Park Centennial Center.
A curios toddler meets a curious snake during the ScaleFest reptile expo Saturday.
Geckos were among the many reptiles and exotics available at the vendor table for Sean Apland, owner of Eagle River-based Frontier Exotics.
An energetic gecko makes an attempted leap for freedom from the hands of Sean Apland, owner of Eagle River-based Frontier Exotics.
Sugar and Ice Pythons owner Jessica Harper, of Two Rivers, handles a python during the ScaleFest reptile expo.
Ken Hickman, center, owner of Fairbanks-base GeckoWorks, explains some of the snakes he has for sale and display.
(Left) Jonathan Campbell shows off a praying mantis during the ScaleFest.
(Left) Heather McChesney with Arctic Morphs handles Justice, a Mexican black king snake.
The Pioneer Park Centennial Center writhed with excitement on Saturday as Fairbanksans turned out in droves to check out a bounty of creatures at the inaugural ScaleFest Reptile and Exotic Animal Expo.
Whether it crawled, slithered, jumped or skittered, vendors and educators were on hand to explain and to sell snakes, geckos and other lizards, jumping spiders and small crabs.
Reptile enthusiast and Alaska Herpetological Society member Joyce Young organized the event after attending similar events in Southcentral Alaska.
“ScaleFest is a way for the community to highlight some great care and some great animals, to show people that animals people potentially haven’t seen before in Alaska,” Young said. “Reptiles are a little unusual in Alaska.”
Young said she’s always been interested in reptiles, and as a kid, she would often go hunting for snakes and frogs.
“It turned into something I’ve done for 30 years,” she said, adding that she has a 25-year-old Honduran milk snake.
Young said ScaleFest’s goal is to educate people on reptiles and other exotic animals and “how to properly care for them.”
“Care standards have changed so much in the last five to 10 years,” Young said. “A snake on a newspaper is not how you care for them.”
She said instead that reptiles need proper enclosures with lots of climbing opportunities, the right humidity and heat settings and other environmental concerns.
Some vendors were local, including GeckoWorks owner Ken Hickman and Jessica Harper, owner of Sugar and Ice Pythons in Two Rivers. Most came from Southcentral Alaska, Kenai or Soldotna.
She added that she was impressed by the turnout.
The Alaska Herpetological Society had educational material on snakes and reptiles in Alaska, noting that adjusting to the cold weather and humidity can be challenging.
Rose Bostwick, owner of Ethical Axolotls, demonstrated how to make the necessary adjustments to her axolotls’ habitats. While axolotls are amphibious, they are related to tiger salamanders and are used in cancer research due to their jellyfish-like DNA structure.
Attendees could handle some of the creatures, which were met with excitement and unease.
Sean Apland, owner of Eagle River-based Frontier Exotics, removed an energetic gecko from its plastic container to give it some time in the open. A moment later, it attempted a leap for freedom and made it to the floor.
“He’s fiery today,” Apland said as he recovered the reptile.
Young said she hopes to hold a second ScaleFest next year, though it may be a little different depending on feedback.
Contact reporter Jack Barnwell at 907-459-7587 or jbarnwell@newsminer.com.
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