Philip Peters addresses an audience at the Kosciusko County Fair while a nurse shark swims behind him.

WARSAW — For more than 20 years, Philip Peters has brought the Haai Inc. Shark Encounter exhibit to all 50 states except Alaska. And this week, Peters and his crew of three nurse sharks are performing daily at the Kosciusko County Fair.

Peters, who hails from The Netherlands but resides in Florida, has been fascinated by sharks since he was young.

“I built this all by myself,” said Peters regarding his exhibit. The shark tank travels by semi. “If anything, the most difficult part is its upkeep.”

According to Peters, the show is the only traveling live shark show in the United States. He said he primarily focuses on educating those in attendance with facts about sharks. During each performance, Peters dives into the shark tank and interacts with the creatures. He holds the sharks in his arms to show their size and demonstrates how the sharks can become immobile when turned upside down.

“It is a lot of fun to do performances, and I’ve done hundreds,” said Peters. “But running the show is not as easy as it might appear. When people ask me how to get involved with sharks, I always say study to be a marine biologist.”

Haai Inc. Shark Encounter has scheduled performances for each remaining day of the fair. For more details, visit the Kosciusko County Fair website.

Peters demonstrates a shark becoming immobile upon being turned upside down.