The Nor-Cal Reptile Expo hosted its first show since 2019 this past weekend at the Lodi California Grape Festival grounds.
The expo was hosted at the grounds on April 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Ticket prices for entry were $10 for adults, $7 for ages 4-12, and free for anyone under the age of 3.
The expo featured more than 30 reptile vendors from across the northern valley area and even a few from Southern California and other regions of the state.
Specialized reptile breeders as well as reptile-themed novelty item vendors were exhibited at the event.
Attendees could also get up close and personal with some of the animals, as some of the vendors had reptiles available for petting, holding, and taking pictures.
The expo also featured shows where the audience got a close-up view of a variety of reptiles as well as other animals.
One show featured venomous snakes including a cobra, a water moccasin and a rattlesnake.
The show was hosted by Loma Linda University instructor and researcher Carl Person.
Person and his assistant displayed the snakes and explained the differences in their venom’s potency.
Person demonstrated to the audience how quickly a cobra can strike by taunting it with a blown up balloon.
The cobra popped the balloon within seconds.
Safari Encounters is a nonprofit organization that hosts educational and interactive shows featuring their exotic animals.
Brandi Blue is the owner of Safari encounters, and hosted one of the other shows at the expo.
She introduced to the audience an alligator, a snapping turtle, a lemur and a sloth.
While not all of the animals Blue showed were reptiles, they were certainly exotic.
Robert Prado is the owner of Maverick Pythons, a ball python breeding business. Prado was a vendor at the event.
Prado said that Saturday was a busier day for him than Sunday.
Prado said that at one point on Saturday he had 6 people at his booth at a time wanting to ask questions or make a purchase.
Sunday was a much more relaxed day and vendors had more time to engage with their customers.