The little boy was not convinced as his mom coaxed him toward the Zoo Boo exhibits last Saturday at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo.
“It’s not scary,” she said.
A fork in the path pointed to “Scary” and “Fun-Scary.”
A little later a braver lad commented on the haunted zoo. “That wasn’t so scary!” he said. Not only were the goblins friendly, they had candy to give away.
Zoo Boo is a tradition that takes place each year on the Saturday before Halloween. This year, 2,850 people attended, according to Zoo Supervisor and Curator Sara Hamlin.
City Coordinator Christina Hayes adds, “We had 30 different booths made up of City staff, various individuals, various businesses and some sponsors. We were happy with the weather and the turnout.”
The El Sol Folk Dance Club at Great Bend High School decorated a booth with a Day of the Dead theme. Nancy Schuetz, who along with Zusseth Pinillo is a club sponsor, noted the Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico and is similar to Memorial Day in the United States, but it takes place around this time of year (Oct. 31-Nov 2).
“Helping with the Zoo Boo is one of the community service activities the club participates in,” Schuetz said. “They also perform at Santa’s Workshop, the Cinco de Mayo Festival, and for various groups in the community.”