Crazy for those creepy, crawly creatures
Posted: 7/7/2009

By James Mulcahy

The words in Jim Stafford's 1973 classic couldn't be more inappropriate for the vendors who gather almost monthly at the Shelby County Fairgrounds.

"... I don't like spiders and snakes

And that ain't what it takes to love me

Like I wanna be loved by you."

Most of the vendors -- and customers -- at the Shelbyville Reptile & Pet Expo are crazy about spiders and snakes -- and mice and geckos and all things most people consider creepy crawly.

Take 9-year-old Nick Graves; he says he's not afraid of anything. Nick and his family come from Frankfort every time the expo's doors open.

Nick owns cats, dogs, four snakes, two hamsters and three turtles.

"I love the way they move," he said of his small animals. "Some climb up your clothes."

Nick's cousin, Clayton Bennett, also 9, was courageous handling white mice, but admits one weakness -- he's no fan of hairy tarantulas.

Meanwhile, the burly guy standing a few feet away with a large boa draped around his neck can't stand them either. A tarantula would be no match for Bagdad's Jeff Edington, but he avoids spiders, leaving them for his loving wife, Debbie.

"Spiders are the only thing in this world that I'm scared of," said Edington. "A 1,000-pound bull walks up here, I'll smack him in the head and tell him to get away. I'm trying to overcome it, but I fear a tarantula. My wife has her own -- it's a fascination to her."

Jeff and Debbie Edington, along with their son, Jay, took over the expo in January. In its ninth year, the expo has had two previous owners.

Jeff is no stranger to the local show. He was a vendor at the beginning, and has seen the show in its heyday and in down times.

"It grew, then it deteriorated, and now it's starting a nice comeback," he said. 

Jeff Edington theorizes that the slow economy helps his business -- more often people are using their expendable income to entertain themselves at home.

"People are doing more things at home, so they use animals at home to entertain their kids rather than going to movies," he said.

In addition to the reptiles (none poisonous), rats and arachnids, the expo has expanded its repertoire to include something for the squeamish. 

"We've added pets -- chickens, rabbits, tropical birds, hamsters, gerbils, about anything you find in a pet store," he said.

But what kind of person wants the exotic pet?

"You would be surprised," he said. "From little old ladies to preachers, a wide variety of people have an interest in reptiles -- more than we think. They claim that over 10 percent of animals sold in the world are reptiles. It's amazing that so many people are enthusiastic about reptiles."

The animals' appeal, Edington said, often is their ease of care and, once the fear is conquered, their managability.

"They're low maintenance," he said. "They're intriguing, and people tend to like the docileness, so you're really not worried about this biting thing. The old phobias are slowly passing away."

Edington is one of the preachers of which he speaks. Besides being a Shelby County Public Schools bus driver, he is pastor at Lebanon Baptist Church in Franklin County. Jeff and Debbie lead the church's ministry Hands for Christ, which is well known in the area. 

And he trains dogs.

"I'm a canine behavioral specialist," he said. "I like things related to animals."

But there's one question on everybody's mind: Does Jeff, the minister, handle snakes in church?

"Absolutely not!" he said with a grin. "That's the question I get from everybody."