The Gladys Porter Zoo will kick off its 30th annual “Boo at the Zoo” today from 6 to 9 p.m. where the community can enjoy an evening of carnival style games, trick or treating and watching mermaids.
The festivities will continue Thursday at the same time and guests of all ages are encouraged to show up wearing their favorite Halloween costumes. There will be more than 50 different game and treat stations including a witch-hat ring toss.
“This is our 30th annual ‘Boo at the Zoo’ we are really excited that we are going to have one more year of providing an alternative to trick or treating on the streets for the public,” Cynthia Garza Galvan, marketing director at the Gladys Porter Zoo, said. “Every year (we do) this as sort of a community service to give back to the city that we love so much.”
Tickets can be purchased the day of the event for $3.50 at the entrance booth or online at gpz.org. Boo at the Zoo is a free event for zoo members with membership card and photo ID. Sponsors for the event include Brownsville Public Utilities Board, McDonalds, City of Brownsville and Metro by T-Mobile.
Garza Galvan said the event is for all ages and she encourages the community to go to the zoo and enjoy a fun night. She added there will be a lot of Halloween-themed games.
“We just like for them to come and enjoy ‘Boo at the Zoo’ and we have a lot of treat stations, plenty of games, the mermaids are going to be out there swimming at the aquarium and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” she said. “Kids just love to go in and see the mermaids.”
The Gladys Porter Zoo is a visitor-oriented zoological and botanical park, dedicated to the preservation of nature through education, conservation, healthy outdoor recreation and research. The zoo opened its doors to the public on September 3, 1971.
“‘Boo at the Zoo’ is for all ages and it supports the zoo and I just want for everybody to come out,” Garza Galvan said. “We are the only zoo south of San Antonio and we are really able to provide an opportunity to some kids who will probably not leave the Rio Grande to see some of the larger rhinos, chimpanzees and orangutans. The zoo is really a jewel that Gladys Porter left to the City of Brownsville.”
