We love to share our passion for animals and nature, laughing and learning with audiences of all ages.
Where will we go?
We visit schools, churches, scouts,
birthdays,
libraries,
community events,
banquets, or anywhere we can serve.
What's it
like?
Our interactive shows are crawling with fun and laughter, presented by Forgotten Friend's herpetologist, author, photographer, and certified class clown, Jesse Rothacker. We customize every show, but our classic show includes a 30-45 minute presentation, with the rest of the hour for questions and closer reptile encounters. We bring learning to life with fifteen live snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocs. You'll meet reptiles from around the world, and a few from your own backyard!
Who is the program presenter?
Jesse Rothacker is the founder and president of Forgotten Friend and has performed more than 1,000 shows. He brings professional family fun to every event, arriving in safari uniform, and is always equipped with frog stickers, laughs, and endless field experience. Jesse is also the "Critter Correspondent" for the Kids Cookie Break radio show, for which he produces nature programming and contributes live field reports. With regular television and radio appearances, Jesse knows how important it is to be on time and find fun and dynamic ways to engage every audience.
What ages do we recommend?
Our unique brand of animal edutainment is great
for groups of all ages. We've done programs for preschools, retirement homes, and all ages in between, with carefully formulated silliness for each age level.
Many of our reptiles are quite sociable, and our colorful Corn Snakes are especially amicable for supervised touching. We also bring reptile eggs, snake skins, and turtle shells to every show, and provide
hand sanitizer to promote good clean fun.
Have you ever touched a snake before? A couple of our friendliest reptiles are perfect for first-timers!
Rates and Scheduling
The proceeds from our outreach programs
make our organization possible, and we offer affordable programming starting around $300.
We offer standard one-hour rates or discounted rates for longer events. Local travel is free within a 10-mile radius of 17545, with mileage rates beyond 10 miles based on location. We recommend our show for audiences between 25 and 100 people, although group size is unlimited and we often visit much bigger or smaller groups. We provide our own professional sound equipment at every event, or we can plug into your sound system. To schedule an event, or
for more information,
please email info@forgottenfriend.org.
Jesse's Field Work in the Wild
When he's not teaching Herpetology, Jesse can usually be found with a snake hook in hand and a camera around his neck, scouring the earth for wild reptiles. In addition to leading outreach programs, Jesse's photos and articles have appeared in national publications like Reptiles Magazine as well as Forgotten Friend's local newspapers. Here is a recent video from Jesse's trip out West:
Rave Reviews
Whether you like reptiles or not, you'll love our show. Filled with family fun and learning, there is something for everyone to enjoy. But you don't have to take our word for it --- you can read Rave Reviews from others who loved our shows.
-Jesse Rothacker, Forgotten Friend Founder
Stay in the loop!
Would you like to receive Forgotten Friend's email Newsletter with rescue updates, community events, reptile pictures, and more? Would you like to be notified as soon as new reptiles become available for adoption? Just sign up below and we'll keep you in the loop! We promise not to share your info with third parties and unsubscribing is even easier than signing up.
Facebook users can become fans of Forgotten Friend for even more cool stuff. BONUS!
