Meet The Founder: Mark Wolfson
For over two decades, the Tucson Reptile & Amphibian Show & Sale has been a must-see event for reptile lovers. Mark Wolfson co-founded the show with his friend Larry Sedrick in 2002.
What began as a simple idea—to bring together fellow reptile enthusiasts in Tucson—quickly grew into something extraordinary. In 2002, a “Hall for Rent” sign on Fort Lowell sparked a decision that would change the local herpetology scene forever. With only three months to organize, they rented a 1,500-square-foot hall for $400, rallied a dozen like-minded enthusiasts, printed a thousand flyers on an office Xerox, and launched the first Tucson Reptile & Amphibian Show & Sale.
The debut weekend exceeded all expectations. Two thousand visitors packed the hall—far beyond the few hundred they had anticipated. The event made the front page of the Arizona Daily Star and began this longstanding Tucson Tradition.
In 2026, Mark turned over the show to his long time friends and associates, Tanya and Randy Washington & Tom Breen.