BRIDGEPORT – Beardsley Zoo has entered its 100th year celebrating the best it knows best – starting with the animals and then, some cake.
The Live Animals program will begin the zoo’s full-day centenary celebration on Saturday. The zoo will kick off its birthday party from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Zoo Director Greg Dancho will make an announcement and attendees can check out the zoo’s animals, a time capsule being planted, register for a contest and more.
“I am very excited to be able to share this most exciting achievement of the zoo with our guests. It is a pleasure to see our young visitors enjoying the zoo’s birthday celebration,” Dancho said.
One of the live animal shows will feature what the zoo calls “Animal Ambassadors” including owls, hawks and rabbits. The visitor can safely handle all the animals on display.
People can also enter a contest for a chance to win a free birthday party at the zoo.
Visitors can also visit the zoo where a time capsule is being planted due to open in 2072, 50 years in the future. Students from North Stratfield Primary School in Fairfield will leave letters. The zoo will also bury a calendar, photos of the animals, and announcements from city and state officials. An annual report from the 1970s will also be buried with a picture book for the zoo.
Zoo spokeswoman Lisa Claire said she settled in 2072 because that year’s anniversary falls on Saturday, June 25. But there is another reason.
“We thought that by spending 50 years instead of 100, there would be people in the area still living and remembering the zoo in 2022, and that would add to the fun of opening the time capsule,” Clare said.
The zoo was founded in 1922, but Dancho previously said there was no exact date for its founding. The zoo has changed over the decades from being a source of entertainment to now being involved in conservation and education efforts.
Other attractions scheduled for Saturday include the reading of an original poem he wrote in honor of the 100th anniversary and the planting of a tree. The native sycamore tree will be planted in the state. A bakery will also be made and cakes will be served to the guests. Visitors can also catch live music from Connecticut’s cover band Lost Rebel, which plays classic rock songs from the 1970s.
But the zoo won’t stop partying after a day. The zoo will also hold a party at the Inn at Longshore in Westport on October 29.