No need to flee Mingo park
Outdoorsy types must’ve gotten quite a chuckle if they read the story in Wednesday’s Observer-Reporter about snakes at Mingo Creek County Park.
As our Barbara Miller reported, the county commissioners got a visit last week from Monongahela Mayor Bob Kepics, who used the public comment portion of the meeting to warn about snakes that recently disrupted a wedding at the park in which he was the officiant.
“We have a major problem with snakes,” said the mayor.
He said one of the snakes slithered after a young wedding guest who approached the creek.
“They’re very aggressive, and they will bite. They’re living in these big rocks where they put the new bridges in.”
For the record, county officials said the snakes Kepics and others at the wedding encountered were queen snakes and northern water snakes. They’re not venomous, and this was the first we’ve heard about them trying to chase people down.
To the best of our knowledge, the snakes at Mingo, since they have no appendages, are unarmed. But we do hear they’ve formed a gang, the Cold Bloods, and now they’re being targeted, are planning a Brown Lives Matter, um, march.
Snake spokesman Rhett Tyle said the event will be peaceful. “We’re not trying to throw a hissy fit.”
County officials reportedly reached out to an Irish guy named Pat who has some experience in dealing with “problem snakes.”
In the meantime, we suggest city folks might want to steer clear.