The Hamburg, PA reptile show was yesterday (2/28/09). Man, what a great show! The turnout was insane! Some people waited in line for over an hour just to get into the show. That’s dedication to herps if I’ve ever seen it. Once in the building it was elbow-to-elbow and it didn’t let up for most of the day. Upwards of 4,000 people attended the show. But that’s Hamburg. The town is in the absolute middle of nowhere. The building where the show is located is old and run down and the temperatures are usually uncomfortably cold. The success of the show is an oddity. Reading about its logistics on paper would cause you to think the show is a loser. But Hamburg is always a good show. Always. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, Hamburg is equidistant from everywhere. It’s just close enough to bring people from Northern Virginia, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York city suburbs and Baltimore. Each of those places can sustain snake shows on their own but Hamburg seems to get people coming from everywhere. Denise, the show promoter, must be one happy lady.
People are spending money on reptiles. Snake collections are growing. While the economy is struggling people who love reptiles seem unwilling to give up their beloved hobby. And that’s an indication of just how important reptiles are in the lives of people who understand.
This continues to be a great industry. It has its up’s and down’s just like everything else but, for the most part, it’s a great community with a lot of really cool people with a lot of unbelievable animals. I’m glad to be in it.
Cheers,
Colin Weaver
Would have loved to have gone to that show. Maybe next year. Also was reading an article elsewhere that said in general people are actually spending more on their pets now. I think it’s because pets give us a lot of joy in depressing times and are well worth the extra money.