Beardsley Zoo Offers Fun All Summer Long

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is pleased to release its calendar for July through October 2021

Kids Are Free, Connecticut Summer at the Museum, through Sept 6 July 2021

Thanks to the state of Connecticut and funds from the American Rescue Plan, the Zoo is participating in the summer-long KIDS ARE FREE program at the Zoo every day from July 1 through September 6th. This "Connecticut Summer at the Museum" program invites any Connecticut resident 18 years old and younger, plus one accompanying adult, to enjoy a day at the Zoo for free. Guests still need to make a reservation online so the Zoo can maintain an appropriate number of people on grounds at any one time. Reservations at www.beardsleyzoo.org

Food for Thought, Monday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday, 10:00-2:00, in Partnership with Cooperative Educational Services and Green Village Initiative, through September 6

Food For Thought is a special summer long program five days a week: Mon/Thurs at 10:00 and 2:00; Fri/Sat/Sun at 10:00, 12:00 and 2:00 through Sept 6 to teach students and families about the benefits of fresh, healthy food and how gardening and farming enrich our lives. Interactive activities, demonstrations, and visits with animals five days a week at kiosks around the Zoo.

The kiosk activities will include topics such as how owls and other raptors protect farmland from rodents; endangered heritage livestock breeds; the benefits of snakes, butterflies, bees, and other insects; the history of urban gardening and farming in Bridgeport; composting; and raising backyard chickens. Kiosks will be at three locations on Zoo grounds on Mondays and Thursdays at 10:00 and 2:00, and on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 10:00, 12:00 and 2:00.

July 10, New England Farmyard Opens

This popular section of the Zoo will open with significant upgrades to the area, including newly built barns, pastures, and enclosures for goats, cows, miniature horses, Guinea hogs, chickens, geese, and ducks. The first 400 children to arrive on Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 will receive a free piggy bank, courtesy of Newtown Savings Bank.

July 21, ZOOM: Evening Lecture Series, 7:00 p.m. Wonders from Down Under! Karen Sullivan – Sponsored by AARP

The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlife. Australia has some of the world’s most unique wildlife. Many species cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. Join wildlife and nature photographer Karen Sullivan as she brings the amazing animals and scenery of Australia right into our living rooms. Karen has dedicated herself to photographing nature and wildlife subjects with a focus on then sharing her images and information about them through her lectures and photographic exhibitions. Karen will detail information about the animals she photographs and their environments, including personal stories from her experiences in the field. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here

July 22, ZOOM; Monarch Watch, 7 p.m.

MonarchWatch is a Citizen Science program which involves volunteers to tag and record Monarch Butterflies. Your contribution will help scientists collect very valuable data to study the population and its migration patterns down to Mexico for the winter season.  Monarch butterflies have many direct threats from weather, to habitat loss and destruction of valuable food sources due to herbicides and agricultural expansion. With that, Monarch Butterfly numbers are steadily in decline.
Your participation in this program will help aide in the conservation efforts of these magnificent pollinators for years to come. $5., Register online here

July 26 through Aug 8; Family Favorite Chris Rowlands LIVE

Chris Rowlands brings animals to life through kid-friendly songs, dance, puppets, and colorful props. Free. Shown at 11 am, 1 and 3 pm. daily. Each performance is 30-35 minutes long. 

July 29, ZOOM; Monarch Watch, 7 p.m.

MonarchWatch is a Citizen Science program which involves volunteers to tag and record Monarch Butterflies. Your contribution will help scientists collect very valuable data to study the population and its migration patterns down to Mexico for the winter season.  Monarch butterflies have many direct threats from weather, to habitat loss and destruction of valuable food sources due to herbicides and agricultural expansion. With that, Monarch Butterfly numbers are steadily in decline.
Your participation in this program will help aide in the conservation efforts of these magnificent pollinators for years to come. $5., Register online here

August 2021

Continuing through Aug 8; Family Favorite Chris Rowlands LIVE

Chris Rowlands brings animals to life through kid-friendly songs, dance, puppets, and colorful props. Free. Shown at 11 am, 1 and 3 pm. daily. Each performance is 30-35 minutes long. 

Aug 5, Monarch Watch, ZOOM, 7 p.m.

MonarchWatch is a Citizen Science program which involves volunteers to tag and record Monarch Butterflies. Your contribution will help scientists collect very valuable data to study the population and its migration patterns down to Mexico for the winter season.  Monarch butterflies have many direct threats from weather, to habitat loss and destruction of valuable food sources due to herbicides and agricultural expansion. With that, Monarch Butterfly numbers are steadily in decline.
Your participation in this program will help aide in the conservation efforts of these magnificent pollinators for years to come. $5., Register online here

Aug 12, Monarch Watch, ZOOM 7 p.m.

MonarchWatch is a Citizen Science program which involves volunteers to tag and record Monarch Butterflies. Your contribution will help scientists collect very valuable data to study the population and its migration patterns down to Mexico for the winter season.  Monarch butterflies have many direct threats from weather, to habitat loss and destruction of valuable food sources due to herbicides and agricultural expansion. With that, Monarch Butterfly numbers are steadily in decline.
Your participation in this program will help aide in the conservation efforts of these magnificent pollinators for years to come. $5., Register online here

Aug 18, Evening Lecture Series, ZOOM 7:00 p.m. Red Wolves Rediscovered! Dr. Kristin Brzeski – Sponsored by AARP

The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlife. As few as 24 wild red wolves are known to exist, but canids with red wolf genetics were recently found along the American Gulf Coast. Dr. Kristin Brzeski will offer a history of red wolf conservation actions. A brief discussion of red wolf taxonomy will include implications of red wolf ancestry in coyotes in Texas and Louisiana reshapes our view of hybridization between the species. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here

September 2021

Sept 13, Golf Tournament, Brooklawn Country Club

Gather three coworkers, friends or family members and join us on Monday, September 13 at the exclusive Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield for fun and fundraising!  Formed in 1895, Brooklawn was redesigned by A.W. Tillinghast, one of history's premier golf architects.  Brooklawn's sloping greens provide the biggest challenge; off the tee, accuracy is more important than distance. Bring your "A" game and have a ball! This year's tournament will feature tee times and food on the course for a socially-distanced day outside! Register here

Sept 22, ZOOM: Evening Lecture Series, 7:00 p.m., Life in the Slow Lane with Sarah Kennedy–Sponsored by AARP

The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlifeSarah Kennedy, Director of Education and Outreach at The Sloth Conservation Foundation (SloCo), will join us from Costa Rica. Sloths are the ultimate creatures of habit. They are perfectly adapted for life high up in the canopy of tropical rainforests where they have little need to ever descend to the ground. However, the rainforest habitat that the sloths depend on is becoming more and more disturbed. Saving these incredible animals from extinction requires innovative and long-term conservation solutions that will target both the human and sloth populations, with the goal of developing sustainable ways in which humans and sloths can coexist. Learn about these amazing animals and the incredible work being done by SloCo to achieve this goal.  Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here

October 2021

Oct 20, ZOOM: Evening Lecture Series, 7:00 p.m. Weasels in the Wild! Kurt Zias – Sponsored by AARP

The zoo’s evening lecture series engage audiences of all ages, especially lifelong learners, who have an appetite for delving deeper into the wonders of wildlife. Wildlife Biologist Kurt Zias has extensively studied wolverines, fishers and martins in Oregon. Learn about these incredible animals through Kurt’s experiences trapping, surveying and researching the largest members of the weasel family. Through photos, tracks and observations Kurt will tell the story of survival in the rough terrain of the mountains and forests of the west. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo's Evening Lecture Series is sponsored by AARP and brought to you by the CBZ Volunteer Council. $10 suggested donation. Register here

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is closer than you think and open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. 

FOR CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS: CHILDREN 18 AND UNDER ARE FREE WITH ONE ACCOMPANYING ADULT, JULY 1 THROUGH SEPT 6. Guests must make reservations online at www.beardsleyzoo.org

Adult admission (ages 12 & older) is $16.00; Out of state children (ages 3 -11) are $13.00, senior admission (62 and older) is $13.00 and children under 3 years old are free. Zoo members also are admitted free. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is located at 1875 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut and parking at the zoo is free of charge.  

Peacock Café: open, with outdoor picnic area seating available; indoor seating for up to 28 people or 6 tables. Playground open. Gift Shop: offered at an outdoor kiosk. W.O.L.F. Cabin, Indoor Spider monkey viewing area, Natt Family Red Panda Habitat, Carousel Building, and Rainforest Building: open.  Research Station: Closed 

Please check Beardsleyzoo.org or Facebook for the most up-to-date information

 

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Submitted by Wilton, CT

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