This year we have two businesses; Froglady Presentations and Repterience (that hire out to do presentations and parties) joining us as well as our non-profits; Archie's Angels: Reptile Education, Rescue & Rehabilitation, Badgerland Reptile Rescue, Chicago Herpetological Society and Madison Area Herpetological Society and we all haul a ton of animals out and just talk to people. Let them hold stuff, touch stuff and work through their fears. The most common questions:
- Does it Bite? - My patented answer is "Everything with a mouth can bite."
- Is it real? Reptiles don't always move much at events, especially in display cages.
- is it poisonous? (we don't do the 'freak out people' we just say no)
- What does it eat and where is it from?
- Where does it poop from? is a BIG one on snakes.
To do outreach and change a mind, you don't have to go big on details. You will always find a kid that actually gets excited because they found you and they will have a book in their hands. They will light up because for a moment they will see their people.

These exhibitors will arrive at 6:30am and we will rush to get all the animals into the warm building while they unload. It is winter in Wisconsin after all. There will be press spots starting around 7:30 am. I will have to be perky, cheerful and FCC compliant. If you know me real well, stop laughing. I have a trophy. Meanwhile, these groups I named are frantically setting up, I'll doing what needs to be done. Everyone is set up and ready to go by 10 am when we open to the public and we do not stop until 5pm when we close. 3 people will be giving talks throughout the day, to mostly the general public, about reptiles and having them as pets. These efforts do so much to change the perception of us in the eyes of the world. This year, I will make it a point to get video from the talks and the room to share. You don't have to go as big as we do but this is where checking to find if you have a local herp society is a great thing for local outreach events!