The Son of Reptile Man came to Allan Yorke Park July 9 for the first week of Bonney Lake’s Kids Club summer presentations. Kids Club events are free of charge and held every Monday at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday at 11 a.m. until Aug. 27.

Isaac Petersen began doing reptile shows in 2004, following in his father’s footsteps. The senior Reptile Man, Scott Petersen, founded the Reptile Zoo in 1996.

“The family legacy will continue to go on as many of (The Reptile Man’s) children help in realizing the dream of becoming a force for good in promoting conservation and sustainability well into the future. Our hope is that the following generations will be able to enjoy nature as we have been able to do so,” said an excerpt from the Reptile Man’s website.

Before opening the zoo, the Reptile Man taught high school biology. It was his passion for teaching that led him to performing at schools. In addition to appearing at over 800 Northwest schools, he’s been featured on numerous media outlets including Bill Nye the Science Guy, Evening Magazine and Northwest Afternoon.

Special Events Coordinator David Wells said Kids Club events are scheduled carefully so that each week is unique and different. However the reptile show is such a popular attraction, he books it twice.

“I try to make it so families can come to all of the events and not see anything twice except Touch a Truck,” he said. “Well the Reptile Man is one that has a big enough draw to actually bring twice … now I have them both show up, they have similar animals but their story lines are a little different.”

Son of Reptile Man will be back for next year’s Kids Club but his father, The Reptile Man, will make an appearance at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19. For a full schedule of Kids Club events, please visit the special events page on the city of Bonney Lake website.

For more information about the Monroe Reptile Zoo, please visit them online at thereptilezoo.org.