University Daily Kansan, August 18, 1983
Page 11
KU zoologist will bring snakes to state fair
John Simmons, collection manager for the Museum of Natural History, explains the finer points of a hull snake.
By MICHAEL PAUL Staff Reporter
Ask John Simmons whether he's the person who'll be handling the snakes at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson next month, and he'll give you an honest answer:
"I'm afraid I am."
Simmons, collection manager for the KM Museum of Natural History, has no choice.
HE WAS ASSIGNED the job last year after Joseph T. Collins, who had handled the snakes at the fair since 75, the first year for the exhibition, but because of his duties as zoologist and author for the Museum of Natural History.
The exhibition will run two days, he said. Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 26.
Simmons and his snake will be part of the exhibition staged by the University.
Because Simmons was so successful last year — and, more importantly, because he survived — he'll be back this year.
Other exhibitions by the University include a fossil exhibition by the entomology and invertebrate paleontology departments, an exhibition by the University of Kansas Medical Center, and a micro-computer software exhibition by the special education department in which video games are used to teach basic arithmetic and language skills.
Simmons said that the snakes were one of the most popular exhibitions at the museum.
THE EXHIBITIONS will be staged in the Industrial Building at the fairgrounds. The University will share its booth with Kansas State University. The theme of the exhibition is research and technology.
"We tried to estimate the number of people who came by," he said. "We got a little lucky."
Simmons said that he would be assisted by Rose Etta Kurtz, secretary
at the museum and an amateur herpetologist — someone who studies reptiles and amphibians — who has been working with the snake exhibition since 1978.
Simmons said the presentation would consist of a five-minute talk and then he would let the people pet the snakes, which are not poisonous.
"PARENTS' OFTEN URGE their children to pet the snakes," he said. "But when the children ask their parents to pet the snakes, the parents don't."
Simmons said the exhibition was not only entertaining but also educational.
"People are surprised that the stares are dry and scaly, not slimy," he said.
He said he was astonished at the misconceptions people had about satanicism.
"People tell me that they've seen cottonmouth snakes in the water, but cottonmouths don't exist in Kansas. The winters are too cold."
"One person told me that she saw a bull snake swallow a chicken egg, curl
SIMMONS SAID THAT he would take four snakes to the Fair; a water snake, a hogne snake, a bull snake and a garter snake.
around a post and then crush the egg. That's one of the many old wives tales about the old lady.
He selected the water snake, he said, because that is the snake many people confuse with the cottontmouth. Both are found in lakes and streams, he said, but the snake has not been found that the cottontmouth has elliptical pupils and the water snake has round pupils.
The bull snake, he said, is about 6 feet long. People confused this snake with the rattlesnake because, when it was approached, it would vibrate its tail in weeds, making a sound similar to a rattlesnake, he said.
He said the bull snake was useful for farmers because it was an "enormous predator" and could kill them.
Simmons also will display the hognose snake, which is about two and $ \frac{1}{2} $ feet long, because of its peculiar behavior.
Simmons said the hogneus snake did not display this behavior in captivity, but he said people had seen this snake before and wondered what kind of snake it was.
HE SAID THAT the snake, when it felt threatened, would coil itself and begin to hiss, then strike — but with its mouth closed. If that did not work, then it would roll onto its back and play dead.
He said systematics was the study of the relationship between living things, of how one species interacted with another.
Simmons graduated from the KU in 1976 with a B.S. in systematics and linguistics.
During 1976-77, Simmons was the reptile keeper of the herpetarium — a building that houses reptiles and biologists — at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas.
DURING 1977-81, he was the collection manager of the department of herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
He has been the collection manager of the division of herpetology at the Smithsonian Institution.
Simmons said that there were about 3.5 million specimens at the museum, of which about 195,000 were preserved reptiles and amphibians.
He worked part time at the museum during 1969-76 and he assisted in the collection of several thousand reptile and amphibian specimens from the Amazon during 1971-72 and from South America during 1974-75.
Try Winfield festival for good pickin' and grinnin'
Staff Reporter
Bluegrass music, arts and crafts workshops and other family entertainment are in store for visitors at the 12th National Walnut Valley Festival Sept. 15-18 at the Winfield Fairgrounds field, 30 miles southeast of Wichita.
The four-day festival will include eight musical instrument contests.
musicians who play acoustic stringed instruments, called the Winfield event one of the 10 major music festivals in 1983.
By PAUL FAZIO
As many as 30 artists are featured at the festival, which is sponsored by the Walnut Valley Association, a Winfield main emphasis is this annual event.
FRETS MAGAZINE, a magazine for
Headliners scheduled for the event are some of the best guitar pickers in the country, including Tony Rice, Eric Clapton and Dan Crary, according to Bob Redford,
president of the Walnut Valley Association.
"This is as strong a lineup as we've ever had," said Redford. Ticket prices are $10 and $13, depending on the day one attends the festival. Tickets for all four days also are available. Prices are $25 in advance and $2 at the gate.
CAMPING AREAS for up to 10,000 people will be available near Winfield. Camping will be free for weekend ticket holders. However, there will be a $3 fee for campers who arrive before Thursday evening
Water and toilet facilities will be
KANU radio is sponsoring a tour package to Winfield for Friends of KANU in conjunction with Maupintour Travel Service. Friends of KANU is a group of people who have donated more than $15 to the radio station.
available at the campground and 300 electric outlets also will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for a fee of $4.
Motel lodging will be available in Arkansas City. 14 miles south of Winfield.
The KANU package includes a bus trip, tickets for the festival and lodging.
according to Al Berman, development director of KANU.
For information about the trip, call Berman at 864-4530. Reservations for the KANU package should be made by mid-August.
Redford said that he expected 11,000 people to attend the festival this year and that the projection was comparable to attendance at past festivals.
For information concerning the Winfield Festival, contact the Walnut Association, P.O. Box 245E, Walnut Kan, 67156, or call (310) 221-3250.
State fair to be held Sept. 9-18
Also on Monday night there will be motorcycle races.
Cars, animals and music will be the three main features of the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson Sept. 9-18.
Car races ranging from stock car races to "dirt champ car races" will occur during the afternoons Saturdays through Sundays. Car races and Friday through Sunday, Sept. 16-18
And on Tuesday afternoon and night there will be truck and tractor pulls.
The judging of animals will occur daily during the fair.
- Larry Gatin and the Gatin Brow-
nets, Sept. 14, to 8:30 p.m.
wednesday, Sept. 14
- Alabama in concert, 6 and 8:30
p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15.
- The Anne Murray Show with Dan Seal, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17.
- Music will be featured at night. This is the lineup:
- Charlie Daniels Band in concert,*
* 8 and 30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16.
- Oak Ridge Boys in concert, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.
- Kansas in concert, 6 and 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 9.
- Willie Nelson and Family in concert, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18.
- All snows will occur at the Grand stand and all seats will be reserved.
- Mickey Gilley and T.G. Sheppard in concert, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.
MOST TICKET PRICES range from $6 to $10. Tickets for Larry Gatin range from $4 to $8. Tickets for Alabama range from $8 to $12.
To order tickets, send check or money order payable to Kansas State Fair, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Kansas State Fair Ticket Office, 20th and Poplar, Hutchinson, Kan, 67501.
There is a $1 handling fee for all mail orders, and no mail order will be allowed.
Admission for the non-grandstand events is $2.50 at the gate. Tickets may be purchased at any Dillon grocery store for $2.
Tickets also may be purchased at the ticket office.
TO DRIVE TO THE fair, drive south on U.S. Highway 59 to Ottawa, then turn west on Interstate Highway 35, also called U.S. Highway 50, to Hutchinson. Another route is to drive west on Interstate Highway 41, then turn on Interstate Highway 135 to just south of McPherson, then turn right on K-61 to Hutchinson.
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