Central States Fairgrounds hosts reptile expo

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - The Central States Fairgrounds is used to housing cows, horses and other animals but this weekend they are hosting snakes and spiders.

Mr. Critters Reptile Expo is in Rapid City for reptile lovers to buy snakes, lizards, and other reptiles, learn about the various creatures, and for some, face their fears.

This is the second Mr. Critters Reptile Expo and the first time in Rapid City with a few other expos planned. Roughly 20 vendors traveled from Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota to participate.

Andrew Jenkinson, owner of Mr. Critters and the expo promoter, said he brought the expo from Colorado after multiple vendors asked for the event in Rapid City.

"I started in Wyoming. There had never been an expo in Wyoming. Everyone kinda forgets in Wyoming, same with the reptiles. There's not a lot of reptile stores. So, I first started out with opening up a reptile store, Mr. Critters, and then I ventured off into doing the expo because I love these reptiles and I just want to share how wonderful they are with everyone else," Jenkinson said.

Not everyone at the expo always had a love for reptiles like Jenkinson, for some, the passion came later in life.

"My husband's always had a passion for reptiles and snakes and stuff. I actually used to be deathly afraid of them, but my husband told me, he said 'All it's going to take is one color that you really like and enjoy and that's all it's going to take for you to fall in love' and that's actually what happened," Brandy Greenhalgh, owner of Hiss and Kiss, said.

Greenhalgh added that expos are a great place for people who are new to the reptile world to learn about the different species and are the perfect place for mom-and-pop reptile businesses to come to represent themselves.

Mr. Critters Reptile Expo will be at the Central States Fairground until Sunday at 4 p.m.