Party for the Planet!
Celebrate Earth Day this Saturday at the Racine Zoo

Racine – The Racine Zoo will host Earth Day on the Zoo campus Saturday, April 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for kids ages two to ten.  The Zoo’s Main Street entrance (currently located at the foot of Walton Avenue due to construction) will open at 10:00 a.m. with scheduled activities concluding at 2:00 p.m.

Children and parents are invited to visit various activity stations featuring crafts and art projects as well as experience up-close animal encounters with the Racine Zoo Animal Ambassadors.  Children are also invited to listen to stories and understand how simple conservation efforts can have a positive impact on wildlife in their own backyard and beyond.

Highlights at the stations include turning every-day household items such as plastic bottles into homes for plants and paper grocery bags into festive wrapping paper.  Participants will also develop their very own frog -- from a polliwog and make an origami frog in celebration of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Year of the Frog.  Plus, adults and children alike won’t want to miss the Eleanor K. Benstead Discovery Center, artifact stations and informative Animal Chats given by the Racine Zoo’s Animal Care Specialists.

Admission prices for the Zoo are: free for members, free for kids under 3, $2.00 for kids 3-15, $3.00 for seniors and $4.00 for adults.  Children participating in Earth Day festivities will pay a nominal additional $2.00 fee for their “Earth Day Pass” to all of the stations.  Participation in the event is free, however, for children of Racine Zoo members.  Membership cards must be presented at the entrance and at the “Earth Day Pass” station inside the Zoo.  All proceeds will benefit the Racine Zoo.

For more information on Earth Day and other Zoo events and programs, including Racine Zoo Summer Camp, visit www.racinezoo.org or call 262.636.9189.  

The Racine Zoo is open daily.  Hours between Labor Day and Memorial Day are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – with the Zoo having a special opening time of 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, as preparations are being made for Earth Day. The mission of the Racine Zoological Society is to foster an enlightening and affordable wildlife experience that improves the bond between people and nature. The Society will provide for the recreation and education of the people, the conservation of wildlife and wild places, and the advancement of science.

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