Weekend festival, A Success!
Friday, 25 April 2008
By Mandy McFarland Editor - WAKARUSA
New to the festival was a live alligator show featuring Jeff Quattrocchi, an Iowa native who now lives in Florida and travels the country entertaining and educating audiences about the American alligator.
Quattrocchi purchases his gators from an alligator farm, where they would otherwise be used for meat or for their hides. After about 10 shows, the gators retire to his farm, where he has plenty of room for them to thrive.
During his show, Quattrocchi explains that, despite popular belief, what he does is not alligator wrestling.
"What I do is I try to handle them and not get bit," he said.
However, Quattrocchi has been injured in the past while performing with alligators; 12 times, in fact.
"Six of those were show stoppers. The show could not go on," he said. "I know every show is a career-ender.
Following the show, kids had a chance to meet Wally, Quattrocci's baby alligator who travels with him to shows.