WINNECONNE, Wis. — Wherever Steve Keller and his Traveling Snake Show visits, they leave an impression.
Keller recently met with a scout group in Winneconne. At one point during the evening, the young scouts had free rein, holding and sharing several of his snakes. The scene would have looked chaotic to an outsider, but Keller and his team calmly oversaw the festivities with a mostly hands-off approach.
Before the snake free-for-all, Keller, who spent 40 years with the scouts, held court before the eager kids. They gathered around in a semi-circle facing Keller and tried to contain their excitement.
“I’ve been a Scoutmaster of three different Boy Scout troops,” said Keller. “I’ve been Cubmaster of my son’s cub scout pack.”
In anticipation of getting their hands on the snakes, the excited group would sometimes get loud and lose focus. Keller often put up the two-finger scout sign to center their attention.
“We put it up high so the leader knows we’re listening,” said Keller. “If I don’t trust you guys, you don’t get to play with my snakes.”
Keller began by introducing his snakes to the scouts. This part of the program is hands-off for the kids. Keller handles each of his snakes to gauge their temperament before sharing them.
“This is a bullsnake. His name is Spot. He just ate a couple of bunny rabbits last week,” joked Keller.
Keller likes to have fun and has a laid-back demeanor, but he’s serious about his message. He called snakes the world’s most misunderstood creatures and wants to change that perception.
“I never force them on anybody,” explained Keller. “I always tell the crowd, don’t approach people with them if they look scared. That’s not allowed. We’re here to give people an opportunity to see them. Most people are surprised at how friendly they are.”
Once Keller felt comfortable with his snakes and the crowd, he passed out his pets. The scouts enjoyed holding or even just getting an up-close look at the snakes. The experience could also help them if they encounter a snake in the wild.
“We’re outdoors. We’re in the woods all the time. We run into snakes,” said Matt Derginer, Cubmaster of Pack 3629. “Not one of our kids has ever had a problem with that in the woods. I think It’s educational and a whole lot of fun.”
Handling snakes is a way to overcome fear as well. Carl Hogue was a Cubmaster years ago. He was afraid of snakes when Keller first put on a show for his scouts.
“Oh he ran out of the room screaming the first couple times he saw me,” joked Keller.
Hogue got over the fear. So much so that now he and his sons are part of Keller’s team.
“Steve is probably the best one I’ve ever seen for people to overcome their fears,” said Carl Hogue. “To be able to face that fear and do it safely so that they can feel comfortable and take it at their own pace.”
Steve Hogue’s son Ryan spent most of the evening with Kylie, an 8-foot long Burmese python. Steve Hogue helped place Kylie on the shoulders of willing scouts.
“Some of them come in here today afraid of snakes and then at the end of the day, they’re holding the biggest snake we have,” said Ryan Hogue. “It boosts their confidence.”
Keller's snakes come from rescues. Once he takes in a new snake, he works to rehome it. Snakes with good temperaments become teaching tools for his show. He also gets the call from law enforcement when they need help rounding up snakes.
“One of my last rescues, I had to take a nine-foot python out, unweave it from two bicycles and a kitchen chair with six police officers in the waiting to help," said Keller.
Keller’s Traveling Snake Show often gets invited to participate in Mental Health Awareness days at local high schools. He’s helping people overcome their fears one snake at a time.
Keller recalled a birthday party where he brought his snakes. A grandmother in her eighties wanted nothing to do with Keller’s party guests.
“Grandma would not come in the room when the party started,” said Keller. “By the end of the day she had played with every snake in the room except the biggest one. She was like, I don’t understand why people are afraid of them. They’re so gentle.”
That theme seemed to repeat itself with the scouts. Several kids were afraid at first, then quickly overcame their fear. Keller said there are other lessons to be learned as well.
“This has turned into a sharing experience,” said Keller. The kids gotta talk to each other and negotiate and pass these snakes around to each other and do it without anybody getting upset, and it works.”
A lot of learning and smiles for Keller and crew equals another successful event for the traveling snake show.