August 18, 2023 • 28 mins
Saturday, September 9th, from 6 p.m. to Midnight, the Sedgwick County Zoo invites you to experience Zoobilee! It's an adults-only evening of delicious food and drinks, live music, silent auctions, and good times, and all proceeds go to support the Sedgwick County Zoo. Wichita Weekend visits with SCZ Marketing Director Jennica King about this annual community event.
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(00:01):
Welcome to Wichit on weekend, theweekly public affairs program from iHeartRadio Wichite one
O two one The Bull Channel ninetysix three and seven three. You know,
some of us get a little sadwhen it becomes late summer and all
those summertime activities start winding down andoh, you know, it's fall and
(00:22):
it's time to go back to lay. Well. Anyway, there's one more
big splash of summer, if youwill, happening September ninth. That's Saturday
at the Sedgeweight County Zoo. AndI'm talking, of course, about just
about everybody's favorite event, and that'sZoobilee. And the marketing director for the
Sedgwick County Zoo, Jenica King,is here and when Jenica shows up,
(00:44):
it's always a party. I lovecoming to visit you, don I love
when you do come to visit mebecause we have a great time when we
talk about fun things that are goingon at the Zoo. And this year's
Zoobilee is shaping up to be oneheck of a party, right it sure
is. This is the most excitingtime of the year at the Zoo in
my opinion, not just because we'regearing up for Zoobilie the biggest party of
(01:04):
the year, but also because usuallyZoobili signifies that I get to start pulling
out my long sleeves. Okay,it's kind of a calendar thing, exactly
seasonal things. Yes, we lovethe fall all right well, Saturday,
September ninth, six pm to midnight. For those of our listeners who have
(01:26):
never ever been to Zoobilee don't haveany idea of what it's about, give
us a little sketch as to whatthey might expect. Zoobili is a huge
party in Wichita. We generally haveabout six thousand people out at the zoo
and it is just excitement and funand food and music and drinks and silent
(01:48):
auctions and shopping and laughter and animalsand all kinds of zoo fun. It's
a party for adults, so youknow, once you arrive, you've got
your ticket, you come through thegates, it's all. It's all you
can eat, all you care todrink, all the live music you can
(02:09):
handle, amazing options in the silentauction. You know, we've got sixty
or more depending on who signs upat the last minute. Sometimes we never
know. Local establishments that come andbring delicious bites of food. We have
wine tasting stations, we have openbars, we have bands scattered throughout the
(02:31):
zoo, and then you know,all culminating to eight thirty pm when Annie
Up takes the stage for as ourheadliner for the event, and you dance
the night away at the zoo andyou know that you're there for a great
cause. All of the money raisedat Zoobilee stays right here at the Sedgwick
County Zoo to help care for ouranimals throughout the year and help us make
(02:52):
sure that the zoo is able tostay one of the top attractions in the
state of Kansas. Do you guyswork on this all year long? Oh?
Year long? You know, we'realready starting to design the posters for
next year. Wow wow, Okay, So a lot of people put a
lot of time and effort into makingthis a truly special event, and I
(03:13):
think a lot of people in Wichitaplan their year kind of around this is
like, you know, the onebig bash they go to and always have
a great time and absolutely and we'reso thankful for the support of the community.
And you know, we see alot of the same faces every year,
and this is what they look forwardto. We are always here six
pm to midnight the Saturday after LaborDay. Mark your calendars for the next
(03:37):
several years because we'll be doing thisevery year. All right, So if
you're a zoom Beleeve veteran, comeon back. If you've never been,
you owe it to yourself and yourspecial someone or your friend or whoever you'd
like to bring to come on outand check out Wichita's Wildest fun raizor fun
(03:58):
raiser, and we raise a funWe raise a ton of fun and some
funds absolutely for the Sedgeway County Zoo. Now people maybe don't stop to think
how many different things you need fundingfor there at the zoo. I mean,
it's a gigantic operation, all thelogistics. We were talking a little
(04:19):
earlier about a challenge you had overthe summertime with air conditioning, but that's
just kind of the you know,that's just one more thing that can happen
at the zoo, right absolutely,you know we've got projects happening throughout the
zoo every day all year long.You know, from the big kind of
(04:41):
you know, publicized projects of openinga new exhibit maybe or all the way
down to you know this generator needsto be replaced in case the power goes
out like it did last week.You know, we're working on some improvements
to the tiger habitat later on,or you know, maybe the glass of
(05:03):
the penguin pool needs to be replaced. And so there's something going on to
improve the zoo every single day,whether it's something that you really notice or
not. And then beyond that,just feeding the animals, caring for the
animals, ensuring that you know,they've got an amazing place to live,
(05:25):
and things to keep them busy intheir their bodies and minds active and keep
them happy. That's our number onegoal. And people maybe don't realize,
but the zoo's open every day everyday now except for the Friday before Zoobili,
okay, the day of Zoobili,and then we reopen at noon the
(05:46):
following day on the Sunday after Zubili, but we're open Christmas Day, Thanksgiving
Day, New Year's Day, andthose are some of the biggest days,
really best days to come out.Yeah, those are those are kind of
secret, secret fund days at thezoo because not a ton of people come
out, but it's a really goodopportunity to you know, wake up Christmas
(06:08):
morning and open up all your giftsand then get everybody out of the house
and run off some energy. That'sactually, you know, that's a brilliant
idea. If you're looking, ifyou've got to guests in from out of
town, you're looking for something trulyunique and truly Wichita to do. What
better place to come. Plus youget a few steps in, get your
steps in, or get a fewsteps in before you sit down to your
(06:31):
Thanksgiving dinner that way too. Youknow, we hear from so many of
our zoo members that that's their tradition, that's the family tradition. Whether it's
five degrees that day or you know, it's not unlikely that we get a
seventy degree day on Thanksgiving, ourChristmas and so so they're really great days
at the zoo. But we're excitedto be open all year round except for
(06:54):
two and a half days in September. That's right, Yeah, because you've
got to put the show on.It is it's a lot. It's a
lot to put on. Only justa couple of years ago we started closing
the day before. But there's somany trucks moving in and out in tense
getting set up, and you know, it just we were just it's just
(07:15):
a safety issue. You know,we've got to keep everybody safe and you
just can't have trucks moving in andout and you know, all of the
chaos of Zubilie. It really ischaos, you know, before before the
show starts, before the party starts. Carefully, it's pretty crazy. It
is. It is very controlled,but it's much easier to manage and control
(07:38):
when there's not guests in the zooto worry about. So, by all
means, get your Zoobilie tickets rightnow. You can go online to get
them right Yes, they're available atSCC dot org. We've got a link
right on the home page and youcan purchase your tickets until September first,
you've you can take advantage of anearly bird price of one hundred and dollars,
(08:00):
and then after September first, allthe way up to the day of
the event, the price of ticketsis one hundred seventy five. And considering
all that you get, all thelive music, all the fantastic food,
the fun libations, and plus thefact that you get to see a lot
of friends of yours that you maybedon't see other times of the year,
(08:22):
so you get a great value foryour money, and of course the proceeds
go to help a true gem ofthe Midwest, the Sedgwick County Zoo.
Now, we were talking about approachingholiday time and it's a great time to
come. Now you've got something elsethat's a special feature of the zoo that's
happening in October. Tell us aboutwild Lights. Yes, oh, we're
(08:45):
so excited for wild Lights. Thisis the third year that we've had wild
Lights at the zoo. And youknow, prior to wild Lights coming,
it was Zooboleese over and now theyou know, we can just sit back
and relax and it's just the zoo'sjust quiet at the fall in the fall,
but no longer because now Zoobilei wrapsup. We clean up the zoo
(09:07):
from Zoobilee and the very next weekwe bring in the most amazing Asian lantern
sculptures, larger than life, beautifulartistry in these sculptures from a company called
Tea on You and they handcraft thesesculptures and light them up and they illuminate
(09:33):
the zoo and it's just a beautifulexperience, something that a lot of people
aren't aware of is that every yearwe're bringing in completely new sculptures. So
if you've been before, come again, and it's going to be a whole
new show. And this year weare so excited for kind of a storybook
(09:54):
theme. We've got a lot ofAlice in Wonderland themed sculptures. We might
have a few, you know,princesses come visit the zoo. I don't
know, maybe just a little Easteregg for you guys there. Take a
look at our social media for moreannouncements of things happening throughout the run of
the show. But that's through thewhole fall. It starts October eleventh,
(10:18):
runs through December seventeenth. The zooopens for the normal operating hours from nine
to five. We close at five, get everybody out, turn the lights
on, reopen at six o'clock andrun all the way until nine pm.
Takes about an hour to walk through, so you can come at any time
during that during the evening and enjoythe lights and have a wonderful time.
(10:43):
It is a wild experience, truly, truly, And when you mentioned princesses,
that makes me think of all thelittle granddaughters and daughters and nieces at
home. That maybe you're fond ofprincesses to come and maybe bathe themselves in
the magical light of Wild Lights atthe Sedgeway County Zoo. And that's going
(11:05):
October eleventh through December seventeenth. Andagain, tickets for that we go to
sec dot org. Tickets for thatwe'll go on sale September one. Okay,
so they're not quite on sale justyet, but they will be on
sale September one. And you know, we're offering discounts for zoo members,
discounts for you know, family fourpacks, different packages that you can you
(11:28):
know, get get a little glowitem to carry around with you, a
little souvenir, plus tickets and soall of that will be on our website
after September one. Ways to savea few dollars and enjoy a really,
really amazing experience at the zoo.The fun is really cranking up. It
is it is Enjoy County Zoo andthis is my favorite season of the year
at the zoo. It's just NonStopfun. I bet it is. Saturday,
(11:52):
September ninth, Zoo Belie an adultevent, A great adult event with
live music, great drinks. Selectablebites from some of the best restaurants in
the entire Midwest, and it isthe wildest fundraiser in the whole state of
Kansas. Get your tickets now atSCZ dot org and you can also check
(12:13):
that out for tickets too. WildLights which to come to the Cedrick Kenny
Zoo. Jenica King is our guesthere on which stall Weekend. Can you
come back after the break and we'lltalk a little bit about zoo memberships of
course. All right, well,let's take a quick break and then we'll
be back with marketing director for theSedgwick County Zoo and Queen of Zoobolee,
Jenika King. This is Wichita Weekend. Dogs, Cats and Cowboy Hats Saturday,
(12:39):
August twenty six is a fur raiserbenefiting the Wellington Humane Society, a
rule nonprofit serving rescue dogs and catsin Sumner County. Enjoy barbecue, dinner,
cash bar, silent auction and possumraffles with live music by local talent
Kirk Russell, MICHAELA. Brownlie andGraydon Struple Dogs, Cats and Cowboy Hats.
August twenty six, yap R startsat five pm inside the Mayfield Community
(13:01):
Center Roll Mayfield Kansas. Tickets arefifty dollars online at girl with blackto dot
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Cats September sixth through ten. Letthe unforgettable melodies of Andrew Lloyd Webber
sweep you away. Join Rumtum Tugger, Rizabella and the rest as they dance,
(13:22):
sing, and compete for a newlife among the ruins of joy Land.
The iconic Wichita Landmark tickets where Catsstart at just twenty five dollars.
Reserve yours now, visit Mtwichita dotorg or call three one six, two
six five thirty one oh seven.The landmark Wichita High School East Tower at
Douglas and Grove turns one hundred thisOctober. Maybe you went to school there,
or know someone who did. Maybeyours is a multigenerational East High family,
(13:45):
or maybe you just drive by everyso often. You have a connection
to the city's original high school,and Saturday, October seventh, you're invited
to come celebrate one hundred years ofthe town. We'll have a parade,
a block party, food trucks,guest speakers, school tours, and more.
Say the Date Saturday, October seventhfor one hundred years of the Tower
Wichita High School. East Wichita's wildestfundraiser, Zoobilie is back for a roaring
(14:09):
good time Saturday September night at theCentric County Zoo. From the wilds of
the Zoo, discovered treasures at theSilent Auction, and dance the night away
with Annie up All while you enjoydelicious drinks and bits local establishment. Your
ticket purchase will help keep the Zooat the top of the list of family
attractions in Kansas. This is anevent you don't want to miss. Tickets
(14:30):
are on sale now. Get yourstoday at scz dot org. Hi which
taughts DJ Mikey inviting you to Hartswingcare Fest two thousand, twenty three Saturday
August twenty sixth. We'll have theCarewalk hettle Fest, bikewides a five K
one and live music from Annie Up, Pats and DJ Carbin assist the Viol's
Chewy, plus food trucks and funfor everyone. Come help us weighs money
(14:54):
for the kids of the Anne familiesof Hartswing. It's care Fest Saturday,
August twenty sixth. What does youSort's to day at which tak carefest dot
org. Have you just been diagnosedwith cancer or do you know someone who's
recently been diagnosed, Keep this inmind and pass it along. The American
Cancer Society offers a nationwide cancer informationline. It's available twenty four hours a
(15:18):
day, seven days a week,whether it's two pm or two am.
We're there for you to answer questions, connect you to the resources you need,
or to just listen. As themost credible source of information, we
can answer your questions about prevention,diagnosis, treatment options, and clinical trials.
We can also help you with everydayneeds like emotional support and lodging during
(15:39):
treatment. To learn more, visitcancer dot org or call your American Cancer
Society toll free at one eight hundredtwo two seven two three four five anytime
day or night. That's one eighthundred two two seven twenty three forty five.
And welcome back to Wichita Weekend.Our guest is Jenica King, marketing
(16:00):
director for the Sedgwick County Zoo,and we've been talking about Zoobilee and we've
been talking about wild lights and allthe fun things that you can have,
fun times you can have with yourfamily, Unlimited, unlimited, there's no
limit at the Sedgwick County Zoo andJennico. It's probably common knowledge, but
(16:22):
you don't need to be a zoomember to come out and enjoy Zoobilee.
You don't need to be a zoomember to come out for wild Lights or
any of the other the great thingsthat are going on at the Sedgwick County
Zoo. But membership does have somepretty cool advantages, right absolutely. Obviously,
the number one advantage of being amember of the Sedgwick County Zoo is
(16:44):
that you get unlimited visits for freeto enter the zoo, and as a
mom of kids, membership is definitelyworth it because it allows you the freedom
to come to the zoo and feellike you don't have to spend the entire
day, skip the nap, figureout, you know how to deal with
(17:07):
the tantrums that happen at two o'clockin the afternoon, so you can really
get your money's worth if you're azoo member, you walk right past the
line, come right on into thegate. It's a free visit for you.
And I used to always say,Okay, I have two kids,
and I used to say, youpick your favorite, you pick your favorite.
We only have an hour. We'regoing to see those two and we're
going to go and you don't haveto feel like you're wasting your money,
(17:30):
and it's it's a fantastic benefit andit definitely is worth your money. If
you visit the zoo more than acouple of times throughout the year, that
membership basically pays for itself. Yeah, get everybody out of the house,
of course, get some steps in, get a little fresh air in.
Yeah, and really get to knowthis true gym. It's one of the
(17:52):
best things about living and witched onabout living in Kansas. And we're proud
of it. Well you should be. It's it represents countless hours of work
by some really dedicated people who havethe heart and the love to bring this
wonderful thing to Wichita. So soif we were going to become members,
obviously we'd go to the website.And go to the website. We've got
(18:15):
a link that will tell you allabout the benefits of membership. Obviously,
free entrance into the zoo for dailyadmission. You also get discounts on the
attractions that we have at the zoo. That includes Stingray Cove, It includes
the Martha C. Buford Safari Express. You actually get a free Go Wild
attraction pass with your membership, sothat's five attraction tickets for free. Just
(18:40):
for signing up for a membership,you get early access to any new exhibits
will usually do kind of a memberpreview Day. You get an email a
couple of times a month that kindof give you the inside scoop on what's
happening at the zoo. We've alsojust launched a podcast. It's the Sedgwick
(19:03):
County Zoo Cast. I have beenon it. I'm on the latest episode
talking about Zoobilee of all things andso. But one of my amazingly talented
team members has created this podcast,and she's such a talented podcast host.
Her name is Emily, and shehosts this Zoo Cast and each episode focuses
(19:29):
on a different animal or event happeningat the zoo, and so that's a
great way to learn about the zoo. It is available on all platforms,
but we send out a preview linkto our members the day before it goes
live, so zoo members get tolisten to the podcast first. Zoo members
also get wall calendar mailed to themevery year, where you know it's already
(19:52):
marked with the zoo events and educationevents and things going on at the zoo,
but also includes beautiful zoo themed artthat you can hang on your calendar.
It's a it's a just a kindof an easy, cute little thing
that a lot of our members reallylike. So the benefits are huge for
(20:12):
zoo membership. And you know thatby purchasing a membership, so much of
that revenue that we get from thatstays at the zoo, helps us in
our operations, helps us to contributeto conservation efforts all over the world.
So not only are you becoming amember of your Sedgwick County Zoo, you
(20:37):
are also becoming a partner with usin wildlife conservation around the world. Just
a win win win all the wayaround. Absolutely, go to sez dot
org and check it out. Ithink you'd be surprised at all the great
things that zoo membership can do foryou. Saving your money, Yes,
it does. It certainly saves youmoney. It's a it's a great gift.
(21:00):
We love to promote this during theholiday season, so around November December
you'll start hearing a lot from usabout zoo memberships. We offer a holiday
package. So you know, myparents would buy us a zoo membership for
a Christmas gift for my kids.It's a wonderful opportunity to give a very
(21:26):
meaningful gift. You're giving a giftthat isn't just a thing that's going to
end up in a toy box andget forgotten. You're giving, you know,
a year's worth of memories and experiences, and it's it's it's a wonderful
opportunity. So we usually run alittle special, you get a little something
(21:47):
extra, a little included benefit,added added value to that around the holiday
season. But you can purchase agift membership anytime of the year. I
love that idea for the holidays,though, boy, and you know every
parent knows there are those days orthose weekends nothing in you board. This
could be a great solution for thatabsolutely and worth. You know, I'm
(22:11):
a lifelong Wichitan and I go wayback to before there was a Sedgewick County
Zoo, and I remember Grandma andmom and Dad taking us to Riverside Park
and Central Riverside Park was all thatWichita had in terms of a zoo,
and we have come light years fromthat now with the Sedgwick County Zoo in
(22:36):
twenty twenty three. And if you'rean old timer like I am, and
you remember the hard scrabbled days ofour tiny little zoo there in Central Riverside
Park and they still got some someanimals and some birds down there, and
that's all great, and it's great, and it's a it's a still a
wonderful place to visit, exactly,and I'm not putting it down at all,
but wow, oh wow, hasWichita come a long long way?
(23:00):
You believe that's been fifty two years. No, No, as the zoo
been fifty two years. We celebratedour fiftieth birthday two years ago and we
got to revisit the boohoo we needa new zoo campaign that so many of
our you know what, we hada group of really amazing supporters that started
(23:22):
that campaign and really made this zooexist. So we got to celebrate that
a couple of years ago. Butyeah, the Cedric County Zoo next month
turns fifty two years old. Incredibleand still growing, still improving, still
changing constantly. It's a work inprogress, that's the goal. And you
(23:48):
know, I was going to mentiontoo, one thing about about wild lights.
Okay, October eleventh through December seventeen. That's right, one of my
favorite things as a person who drivespast the zoo on my way home evenings,
you get to see that The waythey light up the front of the
zoo is just delightful, and it'sjust it's like a feast for your eyes.
(24:11):
Out there's this big bright splash ofcolor. Hey, wonder what's going
on at the zoo? All that'swild light. It's so much fun.
And you know, my office isactually in the administration building right above where
they put that light display, soI just I get to look right out
of my window. It's really funto come, you know, if I
(24:33):
have to be at the office lateat night and it's dark outside, it
makes it really pretty. Oh fun. Well, the Sedgwick County Zoo it's
a great place to be any timeof year, particularly during Zoobolee, which
is Saturday, September ninth. Incase you just joined it. It is
the Wichita area's wildest fun raiser andan adult's only evening with live music,
(24:59):
delicious drinks, selectable bytes, lotof silent auctions, lots of fun.
Please get your tickets now. Goto SCZ dot org slash event, slash
zoobile or just go to SCZ dotorg. That'll get you. You can't
miss it. There's a link righton the homepage. Even for folks like
me, you'll get there. You'llget you can get your tickets. Don't
forget that special price of one hundredand fifty bucks is good through September one,
(25:22):
right, that's right, It actuallythrough August thirty one in September one,
gotcha, yep. So if you'rea smart and timely person, that's
true, you'll get on and getit done and get those tickets now and
join us out of the Sedgwick CountyZoo. And it happens rain or shine,
so no need to wait to seewhat the weather's going to do.
It rained on us last year andeverybody still had a blast, So don't
(25:45):
worry about the weather. Just planon coming to Zubile and having a great
time no matter what. Now,did you do it with umbrellas? What
was there were some umbrellas? Yes, I had an umbrella. I made
a lot of friends who didn't haveumbrellas, a lot of new best friends.
That's right, that's yeah, itwas. But it was a blast,
and you know, if you've neverbeen to the zoo at night,
(26:10):
it's a kind of a different experience. It certainly is. The zoo is
magical on the night of Zoobilee.It's so much fun. You know,
the zoo's has no reason to beopen at night, and so there's not
just lighting installed permanently around the zoo. So if you're there not on Zoobilie,
it's a dark and somewhat spooky place, but we light it up for
(26:33):
Zoobilie, so there's pathway lighting andit's beautiful and just feels like the most
magical experience. It's it's hard todescribe the energy of zoobile Everyone's happy,
everyone is helping the zoo, everyoneis there to party. It really really
(26:55):
is a magical evening. So comeon out, no excuses. Come on,
don't let the rain scare you away, because we're going to go rain
or shine and there's not going tobe any there's not no I'll I'm going
to be sure to pack my rainboots this year so it won't rain.
Okay, I didn't. I forgotmy rainboots last year and that's why it
rained. So that's the problem.The losses with the buckles on him right,
(27:18):
just like grade school. Yeah,okay, well we're counting on that.
We'll be watching for that, okay. And it's really been wonderful having
you in the studio today. It'sJenica King has been our guest, the
director of marketing, director of strategicI can't say it's strategic strategicy, you
know what? Do you know what? I actually had the title change to
(27:41):
marketing and communication because nobody can saystrategic communication. Marketing and communication describes it
better anyway. Jennifer, Jenica isa wonderful person to know from the Sedgwick
County Zoom and always a great guesthere at Which Tall Weekends. It's so
much fun to talk to you.Thank you one our time. Case you
didn't catch it. Get those ticketsfor Zoobilee Saturday, September ninth, Get
(28:04):
them now at SCZ dot org.Spend a little time on the website,
check out wild Lights, which willbe coming in October, and get to
know your Sedgwick County Zoo. You'regonna love it. Thanks for being with
us, Jennika, Thank you,This is Which Tall Weekend. Thank you
for listening to Wichita Weekend a serviceof iHeart radio stations one O two one,
(28:25):
The Bowl, Channel nine six threeA te O seventy three and ninety
seven nine B ninety eight. Listenevery Sunday or which to on a weekend
Welcome to Wichit on weekend, theweekly public affairs program from iHeartRadio Wichite one
O two one The Bull Channel ninetysix three and seven three. You know,
some of us get a little sadwhen it becomes late summer and all
those summertime activities start winding down andoh, you know, it's fall and
(00:22):
it's time to go back to lay. Well. Anyway, there's one more
big splash of summer, if youwill, happening September ninth. That's Saturday
at the Sedgeweight County Zoo. AndI'm talking, of course, about just
about everybody's favorite event, and that'sZoobilee. And the marketing director for the
Sedgwick County Zoo, Jenica King,is here and when Jenica shows up,
(00:44):
it's always a party. I lovecoming to visit you, don I love
when you do come to visit mebecause we have a great time when we
talk about fun things that are goingon at the Zoo. And this year's
Zoobilee is shaping up to be oneheck of a party, right it sure
is. This is the most excitingtime of the year at the Zoo in
my opinion, not just because we'regearing up for Zoobilie the biggest party of
(01:04):
the year, but also because usuallyZoobili signifies that I get to start pulling
out my long sleeves. Okay,it's kind of a calendar thing, exactly
seasonal things. Yes, we lovethe fall all right well, Saturday,
September ninth, six pm to midnight. For those of our listeners who have
(01:26):
never ever been to Zoobilee don't haveany idea of what it's about, give
us a little sketch as to whatthey might expect. Zoobili is a huge
party in Wichita. We generally haveabout six thousand people out at the zoo
and it is just excitement and funand food and music and drinks and silent
(01:48):
auctions and shopping and laughter and animalsand all kinds of zoo fun. It's
a party for adults, so youknow, once you arrive, you've got
your ticket, you come through thegates, it's all. It's all you
can eat, all you care todrink, all the live music you can
(02:09):
handle, amazing options in the silentauction. You know, we've got sixty
or more depending on who signs upat the last minute. Sometimes we never
know. Local establishments that come andbring delicious bites of food. We have
wine tasting stations, we have openbars, we have bands scattered throughout the
(02:31):
zoo, and then you know,all culminating to eight thirty pm when Annie
Up takes the stage for as ourheadliner for the event, and you dance
the night away at the zoo andyou know that you're there for a great
cause. All of the money raisedat Zoobilee stays right here at the Sedgwick
County Zoo to help care for ouranimals throughout the year and help us make
(02:52):
sure that the zoo is able tostay one of the top attractions in the
state of Kansas. Do you guyswork on this all year long? Oh?
Year long? You know, we'realready starting to design the posters for
next year. Wow wow, Okay, So a lot of people put a
lot of time and effort into makingthis a truly special event, and I
(03:13):
think a lot of people in Wichitaplan their year kind of around this is
like, you know, the onebig bash they go to and always have
a great time and absolutely and we'reso thankful for the support of the community.
And you know, we see alot of the same faces every year,
and this is what they look forwardto. We are always here six
pm to midnight the Saturday after LaborDay. Mark your calendars for the next
(03:37):
several years because we'll be doing thisevery year. All right, So if
you're a zoom Beleeve veteran, comeon back. If you've never been,
you owe it to yourself and yourspecial someone or your friend or whoever you'd
like to bring to come on outand check out Wichita's Wildest fun raizor fun
(03:58):
raiser, and we raise a funWe raise a ton of fun and some
funds absolutely for the Sedgeway County Zoo. Now people maybe don't stop to think
how many different things you need fundingfor there at the zoo. I mean,
it's a gigantic operation, all thelogistics. We were talking a little
(04:19):
earlier about a challenge you had overthe summertime with air conditioning, but that's
just kind of the you know,that's just one more thing that can happen
at the zoo, right absolutely,you know we've got projects happening throughout the
zoo every day all year long.You know, from the big kind of
(04:41):
you know, publicized projects of openinga new exhibit maybe or all the way
down to you know this generator needsto be replaced in case the power goes
out like it did last week.You know, we're working on some improvements
to the tiger habitat later on,or you know, maybe the glass of
(05:03):
the penguin pool needs to be replaced. And so there's something going on to
improve the zoo every single day,whether it's something that you really notice or
not. And then beyond that,just feeding the animals, caring for the
animals, ensuring that you know,they've got an amazing place to live,
(05:25):
and things to keep them busy intheir their bodies and minds active and keep
them happy. That's our number onegoal. And people maybe don't realize,
but the zoo's open every day everyday now except for the Friday before Zoobili,
okay, the day of Zoobili,and then we reopen at noon the
(05:46):
following day on the Sunday after Zubili, but we're open Christmas Day, Thanksgiving
Day, New Year's Day, andthose are some of the biggest days,
really best days to come out.Yeah, those are those are kind of
secret, secret fund days at thezoo because not a ton of people come
out, but it's a really goodopportunity to you know, wake up Christmas
(06:08):
morning and open up all your giftsand then get everybody out of the house
and run off some energy. That'sactually, you know, that's a brilliant
idea. If you're looking, ifyou've got to guests in from out of
town, you're looking for something trulyunique and truly Wichita to do. What
better place to come. Plus youget a few steps in, get your
steps in, or get a fewsteps in before you sit down to your
(06:31):
Thanksgiving dinner that way too. Youknow, we hear from so many of
our zoo members that that's their tradition, that's the family tradition. Whether it's
five degrees that day or you know, it's not unlikely that we get a
seventy degree day on Thanksgiving, ourChristmas and so so they're really great days
at the zoo. But we're excitedto be open all year round except for
(06:54):
two and a half days in September. That's right, Yeah, because you've
got to put the show on.It is it's a lot. It's a
lot to put on. Only justa couple of years ago we started closing
the day before. But there's somany trucks moving in and out in tense
getting set up, and you know, it just we were just it's just
(07:15):
a safety issue. You know,we've got to keep everybody safe and you
just can't have trucks moving in andout and you know, all of the
chaos of Zubilie. It really ischaos, you know, before before the
show starts, before the party starts. Carefully, it's pretty crazy. It
is. It is very controlled,but it's much easier to manage and control
(07:38):
when there's not guests in the zooto worry about. So, by all
means, get your Zoobilie tickets rightnow. You can go online to get
them right Yes, they're available atSCC dot org. We've got a link
right on the home page and youcan purchase your tickets until September first,
you've you can take advantage of anearly bird price of one hundred and dollars,
(08:00):
and then after September first, allthe way up to the day of
the event, the price of ticketsis one hundred seventy five. And considering
all that you get, all thelive music, all the fantastic food,
the fun libations, and plus thefact that you get to see a lot
of friends of yours that you maybedon't see other times of the year,
(08:22):
so you get a great value foryour money, and of course the proceeds
go to help a true gem ofthe Midwest, the Sedgwick County Zoo.
Now, we were talking about approachingholiday time and it's a great time to
come. Now you've got something elsethat's a special feature of the zoo that's
happening in October. Tell us aboutwild Lights. Yes, oh, we're
(08:45):
so excited for wild Lights. Thisis the third year that we've had wild
Lights at the zoo. And youknow, prior to wild Lights coming,
it was Zooboleese over and now theyou know, we can just sit back
and relax and it's just the zoo'sjust quiet at the fall in the fall,
but no longer because now Zoobilei wrapsup. We clean up the zoo
(09:07):
from Zoobilee and the very next weekwe bring in the most amazing Asian lantern
sculptures, larger than life, beautifulartistry in these sculptures from a company called
Tea on You and they handcraft thesesculptures and light them up and they illuminate
(09:33):
the zoo and it's just a beautifulexperience, something that a lot of people
aren't aware of is that every yearwe're bringing in completely new sculptures. So
if you've been before, come again, and it's going to be a whole
new show. And this year weare so excited for kind of a storybook
(09:54):
theme. We've got a lot ofAlice in Wonderland themed sculptures. We might
have a few, you know,princesses come visit the zoo. I don't
know, maybe just a little Easteregg for you guys there. Take a
look at our social media for moreannouncements of things happening throughout the run of
the show. But that's through thewhole fall. It starts October eleventh,
(10:18):
runs through December seventeenth. The zooopens for the normal operating hours from nine
to five. We close at five, get everybody out, turn the lights
on, reopen at six o'clock andrun all the way until nine pm.
Takes about an hour to walk through, so you can come at any time
during that during the evening and enjoythe lights and have a wonderful time.
(10:43):
It is a wild experience, truly, truly, And when you mentioned princesses,
that makes me think of all thelittle granddaughters and daughters and nieces at
home. That maybe you're fond ofprincesses to come and maybe bathe themselves in
the magical light of Wild Lights atthe Sedgeway County Zoo. And that's going
(11:05):
October eleventh through December seventeenth. Andagain, tickets for that we go to
sec dot org. Tickets for thatwe'll go on sale September one. Okay,
so they're not quite on sale justyet, but they will be on
sale September one. And you know, we're offering discounts for zoo members,
discounts for you know, family fourpacks, different packages that you can you
(11:28):
know, get get a little glowitem to carry around with you, a
little souvenir, plus tickets and soall of that will be on our website
after September one. Ways to savea few dollars and enjoy a really,
really amazing experience at the zoo.The fun is really cranking up. It
is it is Enjoy County Zoo andthis is my favorite season of the year
at the zoo. It's just NonStopfun. I bet it is. Saturday,
(11:52):
September ninth, Zoo Belie an adultevent, A great adult event with
live music, great drinks. Selectablebites from some of the best restaurants in
the entire Midwest, and it isthe wildest fundraiser in the whole state of
Kansas. Get your tickets now atSCZ dot org and you can also check
(12:13):
that out for tickets too. WildLights which to come to the Cedrick Kenny
Zoo. Jenica King is our guesthere on which stall Weekend. Can you
come back after the break and we'lltalk a little bit about zoo memberships of
course. All right, well,let's take a quick break and then we'll
be back with marketing director for theSedgwick County Zoo and Queen of Zoobolee,
Jenika King. This is Wichita Weekend. Dogs, Cats and Cowboy Hats Saturday,
(12:39):
August twenty six is a fur raiserbenefiting the Wellington Humane Society, a
rule nonprofit serving rescue dogs and catsin Sumner County. Enjoy barbecue, dinner,
cash bar, silent auction and possumraffles with live music by local talent
Kirk Russell, MICHAELA. Brownlie andGraydon Struple Dogs, Cats and Cowboy Hats.
August twenty six, yap R startsat five pm inside the Mayfield Community
(13:01):
Center Roll Mayfield Kansas. Tickets arefifty dollars online at girl with blackto dot
com. Music Theater Wichita proudly presentsthe timeless sensation that has captivated audiences worldwide.
Cats September sixth through ten. Letthe unforgettable melodies of Andrew Lloyd Webber
sweep you away. Join Rumtum Tugger, Rizabella and the rest as they dance,
(13:22):
sing, and compete for a newlife among the ruins of joy Land.
The iconic Wichita Landmark tickets where Catsstart at just twenty five dollars.
Reserve yours now, visit Mtwichita dotorg or call three one six, two
six five thirty one oh seven.The landmark Wichita High School East Tower at
Douglas and Grove turns one hundred thisOctober. Maybe you went to school there,
or know someone who did. Maybeyours is a multigenerational East High family,
(13:45):
or maybe you just drive by everyso often. You have a connection
to the city's original high school,and Saturday, October seventh, you're invited
to come celebrate one hundred years ofthe town. We'll have a parade,
a block party, food trucks,guest speakers, school tours, and more.
Say the Date Saturday, October seventhfor one hundred years of the Tower
Wichita High School. East Wichita's wildestfundraiser, Zoobilie is back for a roaring
(14:09):
good time Saturday September night at theCentric County Zoo. From the wilds of
the Zoo, discovered treasures at theSilent Auction, and dance the night away
with Annie up All while you enjoydelicious drinks and bits local establishment. Your
ticket purchase will help keep the Zooat the top of the list of family
attractions in Kansas. This is anevent you don't want to miss. Tickets
(14:30):
are on sale now. Get yourstoday at scz dot org. Hi which
taughts DJ Mikey inviting you to Hartswingcare Fest two thousand, twenty three Saturday
August twenty sixth. We'll have theCarewalk hettle Fest, bikewides a five K
one and live music from Annie Up, Pats and DJ Carbin assist the Viol's
Chewy, plus food trucks and funfor everyone. Come help us weighs money
(14:54):
for the kids of the Anne familiesof Hartswing. It's care Fest Saturday,
August twenty sixth. What does youSort's to day at which tak carefest dot
org. Have you just been diagnosedwith cancer or do you know someone who's
recently been diagnosed, Keep this inmind and pass it along. The American
Cancer Society offers a nationwide cancer informationline. It's available twenty four hours a
(15:18):
day, seven days a week,whether it's two pm or two am.
We're there for you to answer questions, connect you to the resources you need,
or to just listen. As themost credible source of information, we
can answer your questions about prevention,diagnosis, treatment options, and clinical trials.
We can also help you with everydayneeds like emotional support and lodging during
(15:39):
treatment. To learn more, visitcancer dot org or call your American Cancer
Society toll free at one eight hundredtwo two seven two three four five anytime
day or night. That's one eighthundred two two seven twenty three forty five.
And welcome back to Wichita Weekend.Our guest is Jenica King, marketing
(16:00):
director for the Sedgwick County Zoo,and we've been talking about Zoobilee and we've
been talking about wild lights and allthe fun things that you can have,
fun times you can have with yourfamily, Unlimited, unlimited, there's no
limit at the Sedgwick County Zoo andJennico. It's probably common knowledge, but
(16:22):
you don't need to be a zoomember to come out and enjoy Zoobilee.
You don't need to be a zoomember to come out for wild Lights or
any of the other the great thingsthat are going on at the Sedgwick County
Zoo. But membership does have somepretty cool advantages, right absolutely. Obviously,
the number one advantage of being amember of the Sedgwick County Zoo is
(16:44):
that you get unlimited visits for freeto enter the zoo, and as a
mom of kids, membership is definitelyworth it because it allows you the freedom
to come to the zoo and feellike you don't have to spend the entire
day, skip the nap, figureout, you know how to deal with
(17:07):
the tantrums that happen at two o'clockin the afternoon, so you can really
get your money's worth if you're azoo member, you walk right past the
line, come right on into thegate. It's a free visit for you.
And I used to always say,Okay, I have two kids,
and I used to say, youpick your favorite, you pick your favorite.
We only have an hour. We'regoing to see those two and we're
going to go and you don't haveto feel like you're wasting your money,
(17:30):
and it's it's a fantastic benefit andit definitely is worth your money. If
you visit the zoo more than acouple of times throughout the year, that
membership basically pays for itself. Yeah, get everybody out of the house,
of course, get some steps in, get a little fresh air in.
Yeah, and really get to knowthis true gym. It's one of the
(17:52):
best things about living and witched onabout living in Kansas. And we're proud
of it. Well you should be. It's it represents countless hours of work
by some really dedicated people who havethe heart and the love to bring this
wonderful thing to Wichita. So soif we were going to become members,
obviously we'd go to the website.And go to the website. We've got
(18:15):
a link that will tell you allabout the benefits of membership. Obviously,
free entrance into the zoo for dailyadmission. You also get discounts on the
attractions that we have at the zoo. That includes Stingray Cove, It includes
the Martha C. Buford Safari Express. You actually get a free Go Wild
attraction pass with your membership, sothat's five attraction tickets for free. Just
(18:40):
for signing up for a membership,you get early access to any new exhibits
will usually do kind of a memberpreview Day. You get an email a
couple of times a month that kindof give you the inside scoop on what's
happening at the zoo. We've alsojust launched a podcast. It's the Sedgwick
(19:03):
County Zoo Cast. I have beenon it. I'm on the latest episode
talking about Zoobilee of all things andso. But one of my amazingly talented
team members has created this podcast,and she's such a talented podcast host.
Her name is Emily, and shehosts this Zoo Cast and each episode focuses
(19:29):
on a different animal or event happeningat the zoo, and so that's a
great way to learn about the zoo. It is available on all platforms,
but we send out a preview linkto our members the day before it goes
live, so zoo members get tolisten to the podcast first. Zoo members
also get wall calendar mailed to themevery year, where you know it's already
(19:52):
marked with the zoo events and educationevents and things going on at the zoo,
but also includes beautiful zoo themed artthat you can hang on your calendar.
It's a it's a just a kindof an easy, cute little thing
that a lot of our members reallylike. So the benefits are huge for
(20:12):
zoo membership. And you know thatby purchasing a membership, so much of
that revenue that we get from thatstays at the zoo, helps us in
our operations, helps us to contributeto conservation efforts all over the world.
So not only are you becoming amember of your Sedgwick County Zoo, you
(20:37):
are also becoming a partner with usin wildlife conservation around the world. Just
a win win win all the wayaround. Absolutely, go to sez dot
org and check it out. Ithink you'd be surprised at all the great
things that zoo membership can do foryou. Saving your money, Yes,
it does. It certainly saves youmoney. It's a it's a great gift.
(21:00):
We love to promote this during theholiday season, so around November December
you'll start hearing a lot from usabout zoo memberships. We offer a holiday
package. So you know, myparents would buy us a zoo membership for
a Christmas gift for my kids.It's a wonderful opportunity to give a very
(21:26):
meaningful gift. You're giving a giftthat isn't just a thing that's going to
end up in a toy box andget forgotten. You're giving, you know,
a year's worth of memories and experiences, and it's it's it's a wonderful
opportunity. So we usually run alittle special, you get a little something
(21:47):
extra, a little included benefit,added added value to that around the holiday
season. But you can purchase agift membership anytime of the year. I
love that idea for the holidays,though, boy, and you know every
parent knows there are those days orthose weekends nothing in you board. This
could be a great solution for thatabsolutely and worth. You know, I'm
(22:11):
a lifelong Wichitan and I go wayback to before there was a Sedgewick County
Zoo, and I remember Grandma andmom and Dad taking us to Riverside Park
and Central Riverside Park was all thatWichita had in terms of a zoo,
and we have come light years fromthat now with the Sedgwick County Zoo in
(22:36):
twenty twenty three. And if you'rean old timer like I am, and
you remember the hard scrabbled days ofour tiny little zoo there in Central Riverside
Park and they still got some someanimals and some birds down there, and
that's all great, and it's great, and it's a it's a still a
wonderful place to visit, exactly,and I'm not putting it down at all,
but wow, oh wow, hasWichita come a long long way?
(23:00):
You believe that's been fifty two years. No, No, as the zoo
been fifty two years. We celebratedour fiftieth birthday two years ago and we
got to revisit the boohoo we needa new zoo campaign that so many of
our you know what, we hada group of really amazing supporters that started
(23:22):
that campaign and really made this zooexist. So we got to celebrate that
a couple of years ago. Butyeah, the Cedric County Zoo next month
turns fifty two years old. Incredibleand still growing, still improving, still
changing constantly. It's a work inprogress, that's the goal. And you
(23:48):
know, I was going to mentiontoo, one thing about about wild lights.
Okay, October eleventh through December seventeen. That's right, one of my
favorite things as a person who drivespast the zoo on my way home evenings,
you get to see that The waythey light up the front of the
zoo is just delightful, and it'sjust it's like a feast for your eyes.
(24:11):
Out there's this big bright splash ofcolor. Hey, wonder what's going
on at the zoo? All that'swild light. It's so much fun.
And you know, my office isactually in the administration building right above where
they put that light display, soI just I get to look right out
of my window. It's really funto come, you know, if I
(24:33):
have to be at the office lateat night and it's dark outside, it
makes it really pretty. Oh fun. Well, the Sedgwick County Zoo it's
a great place to be any timeof year, particularly during Zoobolee, which
is Saturday, September ninth. Incase you just joined it. It is
the Wichita area's wildest fun raiser andan adult's only evening with live music,
(24:59):
delicious drinks, selectable bytes, lotof silent auctions, lots of fun.
Please get your tickets now. Goto SCZ dot org slash event, slash
zoobile or just go to SCZ dotorg. That'll get you. You can't
miss it. There's a link righton the homepage. Even for folks like
me, you'll get there. You'llget you can get your tickets. Don't
forget that special price of one hundredand fifty bucks is good through September one,
(25:22):
right, that's right, It actuallythrough August thirty one in September one,
gotcha, yep. So if you'rea smart and timely person, that's
true, you'll get on and getit done and get those tickets now and
join us out of the Sedgwick CountyZoo. And it happens rain or shine,
so no need to wait to seewhat the weather's going to do.
It rained on us last year andeverybody still had a blast, So don't
(25:45):
worry about the weather. Just planon coming to Zubile and having a great
time no matter what. Now,did you do it with umbrellas? What
was there were some umbrellas? Yes, I had an umbrella. I made
a lot of friends who didn't haveumbrellas, a lot of new best friends.
That's right, that's yeah, itwas. But it was a blast,
and you know, if you've neverbeen to the zoo at night,
(26:10):
it's a kind of a different experience. It certainly is. The zoo is
magical on the night of Zoobilee.It's so much fun. You know,
the zoo's has no reason to beopen at night, and so there's not
just lighting installed permanently around the zoo. So if you're there not on Zoobilie,
it's a dark and somewhat spooky place, but we light it up for
(26:33):
Zoobilie, so there's pathway lighting andit's beautiful and just feels like the most
magical experience. It's it's hard todescribe the energy of zoobile Everyone's happy,
everyone is helping the zoo, everyoneis there to party. It really really
(26:55):
is a magical evening. So comeon out, no excuses. Come on,
don't let the rain scare you away, because we're going to go rain
or shine and there's not going tobe any there's not no I'll I'm going
to be sure to pack my rainboots this year so it won't rain.
Okay, I didn't. I forgotmy rainboots last year and that's why it
rained. So that's the problem.The losses with the buckles on him right,
(27:18):
just like grade school. Yeah,okay, well we're counting on that.
We'll be watching for that, okay. And it's really been wonderful having
you in the studio today. It'sJenica King has been our guest, the
director of marketing, director of strategicI can't say it's strategic strategicy, you
know what? Do you know what? I actually had the title change to
(27:41):
marketing and communication because nobody can saystrategic communication. Marketing and communication describes it
better anyway. Jennifer, Jenica isa wonderful person to know from the Sedgwick
County Zoom and always a great guesthere at Which Tall Weekends. It's so
much fun to talk to you.Thank you one our time. Case you
didn't catch it. Get those ticketsfor Zoobilee Saturday, September ninth, Get
(28:04):
them now at SCZ dot org.Spend a little time on the website,
check out wild Lights, which willbe coming in October, and get to
know your Sedgwick County Zoo. You'regonna love it. Thanks for being with
us, Jennika, Thank you,This is Which Tall Weekend. Thank you
for listening to Wichita Weekend a serviceof iHeart radio stations one O two one,
(28:25):
The Bowl, Channel nine six threeA te O seventy three and ninety
seven nine B ninety eight. Listenevery Sunday or which to on a weekend
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