Bill Wheeler, of the Keystone Reptile Club, takes a brief break from measuring and weighing snakes to one up for onlookers to get a closer look. The rattlesnake’s head is safely secured in a long plastic tube to protect Wheeler from its venomous bite.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Rattlesnake Roundup draws a crowd one again
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Hunters line up inside a large enclosure to hand over the snakes they found to event staff, who will then weigh and measure the reptiles.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Jill English, of CDE Exotics, a Reptile Specialty shop in Wilkes-Barre, shows off a rare laddertail boa constrictor to Wilkes-Barre resident Kristen Murray and her two-year-old son, Xander, at Noxen’s annual Rattlesnake Roundup.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
NOXEN — The sun was high in the sky Sunday on the final day of the Noxen Volunteer Fire Department’s annual Rattlesnake Roundup, drawing hundreds of attendees of all ages to the borough’s fairgrounds with the promise of getting an up close look at the fascinating reptiles.
The four-day event, a Father’s Day weekend tradition for more than 50 years, was the fire company’s largest fundraiser of the year and featured plenty of food, vendors, live music, carnival games and amusement rides, with the final day culminating in a fireworks show.
However, there is no doubt that the main attraction was the dozens of snakes slithering around the large enclosure at the center of the grounds, as the unmistakable sound of their buzzing tails filled the air.
Throughout the day, a massive crowd gathered around the fenced-in area, taking photos and watching as event staff weighed, measured and marked each and every snake that was brought inside.
Occasionally, they would walk along the perimeter and hold out the snakes for people to look at and even touch. Toward the end of the event, they handed out toy snakes to kids in the audience to take home as souvenirs.
Amidst the spectacle, several posters set around the enclosure offered educational tips and fun facts, like how to spot a venomous snake or how to tell if one is male or female. There were even some gnarly photos of real life snake bites.
According to Lew Hackling of the Noxen Fire Department, 111 people signed up to participate in this year’s hunt, a slight increase from the previous year. In total, 63 rattlesnakes, 6 copperheads and 36 non-venomous snakes were caught.
Those who took part in the hunt were required to have a hunting license from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Hunters competed against each other to see who had the biggest snake or the most species. The reptiles would then be released back into the wild.
Kendra Hettesheimer, 29, of Noxen, has been hunting snakes with her family for the roundup for roughly 15 years.
“This year, we turned in a few rattlesnakes and a black snake,” Hettesheimer said.
Bill Nulton started snake hunting for the roundup around three years ago, but the chance of winning a prize didn’t seem to interest him very much. For Nulton, the experience was what mattered most.
“I just like catching them,” he explained. “You can actually get them anywhere. I’ve seen them in Wilkes-Barre and even Scranton. You just gotta know where to look.”
Although it’s understandable why some people might find snakes to be fearsome creatures, Nulton seemed to have the opposite opinion.
“People think they’re scary, but I don’t think so. I’ve yet to see a snake chase me,” he laughed.
After getting his snake weighed and measured, Nulton was looking forward to enjoying the rest of the event.
“The food is always good and the rides are better this year. It’s a good day to support the fire department.”