Second graders in Liberal got to touch snakes Wednesday at the Rec Center. Liberal Parks and Recreation, Liberal Memorial Library, and the Seward County Conservation District co-sponsored a snake demonstration by Brian Bartels. Students got to touch “Poppa” the bull snake and other snakes in Bartels’ demonstration. Bartels works with the Sternberg Museum in Hays; he says that even poisonous snakes serve a useful role in the ecosystem. Bartels’ snake show was part of Earth Day activities in the Liberal public schools.