Austin Expo May 19th and 20th.

[LadyViper]

www.austinreptileexpo.com/

We are no longer only an annual event! The fourth Austin Reptile & Amphibian Expo will be held on May 19th and 20th, 2007 at the Wingate Inn and Conference Center. 1209 North IH35 Round Rock, Texas.
Come on out for quality captive bred reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates as well as books, cages, tools, feed, and handmade arts and crafts. Open 10am - 5pm. There will be several educational displays, including a native Texas reptiles display, and a venomous reptile display!

Admission is $6 per person. Children under 5 years of age get in free with an adult. Scouts in uniform receive a dollar off admission.


Sponsored by:

The fifth Austin Reptile & Amphibian Expo will be held on August 25th and 26th, 2007, and the second Austin Reptile Christmas Bizarre will be held on December 1st and 2nd, 2007. Vendors are encouraged to book early.

Please contact Tim Cole at [e-mail] or 512-83-SNAKE for information.


If you would like to advertise our expo, we would greatly appreciate it.

Please link to us using the banner below, or just simply cut and paste the following HTML code into your web page wherever you want it - if you need a different sized banner to fit your page layout, please contact us.

<a href="http://www.austinreptileexpo.com"><img border="1"
src="http://www.austinreptileexpo.com/image/
AustinReptileExpoMay2007banner.gif"></a>




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Our 2006 Expo was a big success, and we would like to thank all our past vendors and participants for coming out and hope to see everyone at the next Expo.

Austin American Statesman photos
Jester's photo gallery
Photo thread on The Reptile Rooms


Photos from our 2005 Expo expo and the list of vendors who participated.


Best viewed at 1024x768 | Copyright 2005-2007 Austin Reptile Expo

[LadyViper]

We have lost a good friend and herper this past Thursday. Joe (Jester) Mojica died along with his daughter Jeannie in a car accident. www.statesma n.com/news/ content/news/ stories/local/ 05/12/12wreck. html

Thorndale journalist, daughter killed
Two-vehicle wreck occurred near Thrall

By Bob Banta
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, May 12, 2007

Part-time reporter Joe Edward Mojica and his daughter died in a two-vehicle wreck near Thrall on Thursday.

Mojica, 35, and his 6-year-old daughter, Jeanie, were killed about 5 p.m. on U.S. 79 two miles east of Thrall in Williamson County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.


CAMERON HERALD

(enlarge photo)
Joe Mojica: Reporter, daughter died near Thrall in Williamson County.

Troopers said the two were traveling east in a 1993 Honda Accord that Mojica was driving when the car moved into the westbound lane and struck a 2002 GMC Sierra pickup being driven by Garland Eugene Miller, 49, of Elgin.

Miller and a passenger in the truck, Richard Perkins, were taken to Brackenridge Hospital in Austin.

Miller was in critical condition Friday; Perkins was treated for minor injuries and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Mojica was a part-time sports and news reporter for the weekly Thorndale Champion newspaper, said Candace Velvin, publisher of the Cameron Herald, which is part of the newspaper group that owns the Champion.

Thorndale area residents remembered Mojica and his daughter as members of a close-knit family.

Velvin said Mojica was recovering from treatments after a long bout with cancer.

"The illness had kept him from seeking full-time work, but he had incredible strength and took good care of his kids, even when he was sick," Velvin said Friday.

"It's sad to think he survived cancer only to lose his life on a highway."

Gene Solis, superintendent of the 570-student Thorndale school district, said Mojica and his wife, Elana, had two elementary-age sons.

"Joe was a good man, and Jeanie was a sweet little girl," he said.

"All of our teachers, students and the community are deeply saddened."

Marie Bakken, editor of the Champion, said Mojica had begun working for the newspaper recently after moving to Thorndale from Taylor. He previously had a business that managed Web sites, she said.

"The loss of Joe is devastating to us," Bakken said. "He covered city council and the school board and wrote stories on our (Thorndale High School) football team. He loved covering the Thorndale Bulldogs."

Services for Mojica and his daughter are pending at Cook-Walden/ Capital Parks Funeral Home and Cemetery in Pflugerville.

bbanta@statesman. com; 246-0005

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ******

The funeral will be next Saturday, May 19th at 1pm.

Cook Waldon Capital Parks Funeral Home
14501 NIH-35
Pflugerville TX 78660
[phone]

Elana has requested that in lieu of cards & flowers, donations be made to help offset funeral costs. Those can be made by contacting the funeral home directly.

I first met Joe when he responded to a Katrina Hurricane rescue boa I had that needed TLC and a new home.
His enthusiasm and care for his animals was very obvious. He was very good at researching husbandry issues regarding his family of pets.

His positive attitude was amazing during his battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed.


Friday afternoon several of our members went out to Joe's house in Thorndale to remove the animals and cages per Elena's request to place them in good homes. I really appreciated the short notice to help me with this task shown by fellow AHS members Lisa & Rick Willaman, Frank & Teresa Saling, Deb Sydney, and Nathan Fowler. We removed 20 herps. Thankfully the Salings offered to take the difficult to place boids, green iguana, and water dragon. Several colubrids were in the group and it was suggested by Jack that we silent auction them off as a fund raiser at the Expo next weekend for the surviving wife (Elena) and two sons (Reagan and Seth). So far we have a large Honduran Milk Snake and an adult Blk/Wht California Kingsnake. There are a few more snakes that I will be receiving shortly. They will be sexed by the time of the Expo. The starting bids will be at market price due to this being a fund raiser.


Tim Cole
(512) 83-SNAKE
www.DesignerAtrox. com
www.AustinReptileEx po.com/
www.AustinReptileSe rvice.net
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Conservation through Education

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