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July 7, 2006
Weekend Watch: Happy Birthday, Dear Panda
It's not the only gig in town this weekend, but it's my favorite prospect. Not every day do you get invited to a giant panda baby's first birthday party... with cupcakes!
The big splash this weekend is giant panda Tai Shan's first birthday party at the National Zoo. On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the zoo will be serving free birthday cupcakes (from Whole Foods, so they'll be yummy) to the first 1,000 visitors. There will also be a panda-costumed character for taking photos with, special Tai Shan talks from the zookeepers, and arts and crafts for preschool-age and older children. Keepers will be at the Ed-Zoo-Cation Station every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the zoo's visitor center auditorium, Animal Planet's "A Panda is Born" will be shown throughout the day.
Unfortuantely, all the free-but-reserved, timed tickets to view Tai Shan in his indoor quarters on Sunday are GONE. However, tix are still available for Saturday and every day next week: click here to reserve a time. There will also be a very limited number of these distributed at 8 a.m. Sunday morning at the Panda Information Booth. First come, first served. Also: If you have reserved tix for Sunday, July 9 but know you won't be able to use them, PLEASE allow some other family to do so! The zoo has created an easy way for you to "return" your tickets, opening them for some other eager kiddos who want to see Tai Shan: Send an email to pandatickets (at) fonz (dot) org with the date and time of your reservation, and the name in which it was made.
We can ALL see Tai Shan without a ticket when he's in the outdoor portion of his living quarters. (He is free to go in and out as he pleases, thankfully.) However, I'm told that the ticket-holders get first priority both indoors and out, and it may be extra crowded on Sunday. So go EARLY!
The zoo is encouraging preschool-age and older children to make birthday cards for Tai Shan, which will be displayed for the public to see. You can ask for the free cards at Whole Foods and Panda Express restaurants, or you can make your own from scratch. Bring your birthday card to the zoo on Sunday or mail it to: Tai Shan's Birthday
c/o FONZ Membership Dept., 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC.
If your little one wonders what Tai Shan gets as birthday presents from the zookeepers, here's the official word:
For his big day, Tai Shan will receive a custom-made fruitsicle, prepared by Zoo nutritionists. Tai loves fruitsicles, so he will surely enjoy his special treat. Also, he will be presented with a new soccer ball and a baby pool filled with water and two new toys.
Heads up: National Zoo staff warns that on-site parking will fill up very early on Sunday the 9th. They suggest taking metro to the Woodley Park or Cleveland Park metro stations - OR, they're also offering a coupon for discounted parking at the nearby Wardman Park Marriott Hotel. Click here to print.
Posted by Sarah at July 7, 2006 10:01 AM.
