By Deb Kroon
Review Staff Writer
Over thirty years ago, Adrian resident Brent Mielke started to collect reptiles and encouraged the public to stop by his home and check them out. Brent moved his reptiles to the building that had housed Denny’s Plumbing after Denny and Anne Kruger along with Wes and Rose Henriksen, bought Schutz Hardware from Virgil and Mary Schutz. The Zoo Man was born. At that time Brent’s first job was a fitness instructor and substitute teacher in the Adrian School system.
A few years later, Brent and his family moved from Adrian to Sleepy Eye, MN where his business continued to grow. Brent began to take his reptiles on the road to allow people of all ages the opportunity to personally interact with the reptiles as a part of his educational program. In the years Brent has been traveling, he has been to 47 states. “The only states I haven’t done a program in are Alaska, Hawaii and New York,” he explained. “I don’t take the reptiles somewhere I can’t drive. It’s too hard on the snakes. The size and ages of my snakes makes it difficult to take them on a plane. I don’t want to hurt them, so if I can’t drive, I don’t go.”
Accompanying Brent on his journeys are a selection of different reptiles. “Razor” Brent’s thirty-one year old brown and black Royal Python, has never missed a trip. He is often joined by “Sensational Shari,” a Burmese Python, the most popular pet snake in the world. These snakes can live as long as 40-45 years. The bigger the snake, the longer it lives. You are no longer able to purchase the Burmese Python as a pet, it is illegal. Too many of these snakes have been let go in the everglades of Florida, where they are reproducing abundantly and have become an invasive species. “Big Guy #14” is a 3 year old albino Python, who is 15 feet long and can grow to over 30 feet in his lifetime. “Nessie,” a Bearded Dragon lizard who was donated to the Zoo Man by a parent whose child purchased her and then did not take care of her, and “MA” and “PA”, two Russian tortoises from Iraq round out the main group he travels with. “Each trip is different,” explained Brent. “Where I am going often determines which reptiles I bring. There are regulations that are constantly changing, each state is different.
As the Zoo Man evolved over the years, he changed his business name to the Zoo Man’s Wacky World of Fun. Along with his reptiles, Brent branched out to include super hero figures and dinosaurs in his programs. He visits many different types of site including libraries, schools, day cares, farm and home shows and county fairs. When he goes to visit in a hospital setting, he usually takes along one or two members of the Justice League, such as Batman or Superman. “I like to make these kids smile,” Brent said. “If I can get them to forget, even for a minute why they are there, I feel really good. My motto is “kids are important” and I want them to know that.”
Back in Sleepy Eye, The Wacky World of Fun is open on Fridays during the summer and Saturdays when all the summer events are completed and school has started. He does all sorts of programs for all ages of kids. “I want them to learn to work together-another part of my motto. I set up exercise programs that are fun as well as good fitness opportunities. I’ve done things such as touch football, lasso the bucking bronco and a Storm Trooper training course. The kids have a great time and get valuable exercise at the same time.” His newest program on Friday morning is toy photography. He challenges the kids to take the dinosaurs outside to a natural habitat and create a video using their imaginations. He has gotten some great videos and some of the kids come back to make another one.
Brent has a jam-packed Fall ahead of him. In September and October, Brent will resume his Ghost Tours of Sleepy Eye. It’s not a Halloween scary tour, but a historic tour of Sleepy Eye’s past, touching on important people and events that color Sleepy Eye’s history. “The things I talk about on the tour are too important to forget about,” Brent said.
October 19 and 20 will see Zoo Man-ia come to life once more. “This is a convention we do once a year,” Brent explained. “The money we raise goes to Parkinson research and to kids programs. Friday night is the Ghost Tours. If you purchase a ticket on Friday, you will automatically get a ticket for Comic-con on Saturday. There are a lot of fun events planned for Saturday.” Guest appearances at Comic-con will include Batman, the Ghost Busters, and other super heroes. The visitors who come to Comic-con usually come dressed as their favorite comic character. The Upper Midwest Oreo Eating Contest is held, and of course the Zoo Man will have his reptiles there. On Zoo Man’s Wacky World of Fun facebook page is a complete list of events.
Brent’s goal in all of his programs is making kids realize they are important. In today’s age, most parents are working, and kids often find themselves home by themselves or at a day care facility. He wants to encourage kids to try new things, to spend time away from their phones or computers. As a grandpa himself, Brent sees the importance of relating to kids and have them relate to others around them. “You know,” he said in closing, “you are old when the kids you had in one of your programs brings his kids to see you!” If you are interested in visiting Zoo Man’s Wacky World of Fun, be sure to call first. He tries to keep the hours set, but sometimes an event comes up and he’s out of town.
