The Hattiesburg Zoo will be swinging and swaying with Blues tunes on Saturday, July 9. And what goes better with Blues music than Southern BBQ. The inaugural Blues & BBQ event at the Hattiesburg Zoo will take place all day, and admission costs are $10 for children and $12 for adults and includes train and carousel rides. Annual passes do apply for this event, and the High Adventure Ropes Course
will be open with discounted fees.
The schedule for the day is:
- Gates Open 10:00 a.m.
- Keeper Chat 10:30 a.m. Asia
- Blues Band Performance 11:00 a.m. Giraffe Pavilion
- Burns & Jane
- Animal Show 12:00 p.m. Giraffe Pavilion
- Blues Band Performance 1:00 p.m. Giraffe Pavilion
- Ra’Shad The Blues Kid
- Keeper Chat 1:30 p.m. South America
- Animal Show 2:30 p.m. Giraffe Pavilion
- Keeper Chat 3:00 p.m. Africa
- Zoo Closes 4:00 p.m.
Keeper Chats will include a training exercise with one of the Zoo residents, and the attendees can ask questions about the animal, its care, keeper responsibilities and keeper qualifications. During the animal shows, keepers will highlight some of the zoo’s most unique animals and share information with the audience about each species. BBQ will be the featured food for the day. Three different BBQ plates will be offered including a BBQ burger, pulled pork or chicken wings with baked beans and potato salad as sides. Chicken nuggets, snacks and drinks will also be served at both the Safari Grill and Ladha’s Cantina, and grilled Hot Dogs and Street Corn will be available on the back side of the Zoo by the High Adventure Ropes Course. The “Get Cool Station”, located by the Prairie Dog habitat will offer seedless watermelon slices, Pop Bros Popsicles and Pop Bros Pop Tails. The Splash Pad will be spraying, a fun jump will be ready for the kids, there will be a face painting station and a blues music station. “There will be something for every member of the family to enjoy,” said Demetric Kelly, Director of Zoo Business Operations and Guest Services. “What a better way to enjoy a hot July day than eating BBQ while listening to the Blues!”
