Time Out for Tea
 With a touch of flair and high society, the Sacramento Zoo in Cali fornia started offering Senior Tea & Tours two years ago to place a special focus on their guests 55 years and older. Taking place in fall and spring, the event gets loyal customers involved and engages potential new recruits.
“A few years back, we noticed that we had an overwhelming number of senior visitors—they’re some of our most loyal customers,” says Marisa Hicks, marketing coordinator at the zoo. “We saw great potential to build a community among them at the zoo—and the tea is just the icing on the cake!”
For event planners interested in creating a similar experience, Hicks recommends developing a reliable registration system for the event. “The event will be much more manageable when you know how many people to expect and what food to order,” she says. For $15 a person, participants in the Tea & Tour program start the day with a tour of the zoo’s 140 species and 92-year-old facility. At noon, the group breaks for refreshments and guests are served tea, lemonade, coffee, finger sandwiches, and cookies during a presentation of upcoming zoo plans and events.
www.saczoo.com
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¡Una Celebración de la Calle/Sesame! [A Street Celebration]
Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month in true Sesame-style. The park hosted Rosita and Maria—muppet and human Hispanic characters from “Sesame Street,” respectively—who led a day of Spanish festivities and education.
Sonia Manzano, who has played Maria and written for the iconic television show since 1973, performed with the “Sesame Street” cast and taught young visitors Spanish before a meet-andgreet in the Big Bird Theater. Letters of the Spanish alphabet were recited and sung by visitors throughout the event, but Maria’s appearance was the highlight of the day.
“Sesame Place aims to teach kids about the world around them in a fun and entertaining way,” says Allison Cradic, spokesperson for the park. “Whenever our guests recognize a character from the show, they just light up. So having Sonia visit as Maria was the best kind of celebrity appearance.”
During the day’s celebration, the park was transformed into a melting pot of Hispanic cultures with its Hispanic Heritage Vendor Fair, where merchants sold culture-themed clothing, jewelry, flags, and more.
www.sesameplace.com
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A Big Impact in a Short Season
In i ts offseason, Carolyn’s Country Cousins (CCC) in Liberty, Missouri, is a working farm. But from mid-September through Nov. 1, the attraction makes the most of its time and invites guests to get involved through art shows, pig races, dog shows, and make your- own scarecrow activities. For the first time this year, they ended with spirit and celebrated Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on Nov. 1 (for more on the popularity and applications of mazes, see p. 93).
“Being a seasonal attraction, we’re known for our autumn activities, and many local families come for the pumpkin patch or the Liberty Corn Maze,” says Gieselle Fest, site director for the attraction. “But we’ve taken it a step farther in the past couple of years and really reached out to event groups for field trips.” Here are a few lessons Fest learned from hosting school and special interest groups.
1. Coordinate with curriculums. “We consider ourselves an educational farm, so oftentimes, we find out what school groups are learning about in school and complement that with farm and animal knowledge.”
2. Let the animals do the talking. Animals have proven therapeutic for special needs children, so CCC often reaches out to these groups at local schools.
3. Be flexible! “You never know what’s going to happen with young kids, so have several activities planned, but be prepared to rearrange your schedule quickly.”
www.carolynscountrycousins.com
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