Miller Park Zoo celebrating 133 years with birthday bash this Saturday

Posted on June 7, 2024
With admission you can enjoy cake, ice-cream and face painting. Saturday’s festivities are from noon to 3 p.m. (WJBC file photo)

By WMBD-TV

BLOOMINGTON – On Saturday, join the Miller Park Zoo for its 133rd birthday celebration.

The birthday party also lands on World Oceans Day. In conjunction with the ocean’s theme, the Illinois MerPod will be present to talk about ocean conservation.

Silvia Schuh, the zoo’s events and volunteer coordinator, said it’s an honor for the zoo to have sustained longevity.

“If you ever get a chance and look up our history, It’s really interesting from Miller Park Zoo. If you think about it, put it in your perspective, we’re older than what the Titanic was,” said Schuh. “So, I mean, that’s pretty old if you really think about it. And I think it’s really neat because it’s an honor that we’ve lasted this long and we keep getting better and better every year. Which is great.”

Schuh is looking forward to seeing the enthusiasm from the kids on Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to just watching all the kids and everybody just enjoying the day. It sounds kind of cheesy, but as an event coordinator, that’s really important to me,” she said. “And I love watching the look of wonder on kids face when they see new animals that they haven’t seen or just even bringing in or more people. That’s something totally different. And yeah, that’s what I think is going to be exciting.”

With admission you can enjoy cake, ice-cream and face painting. Saturday’s festivities are from noon to 3 p.m.

WMBD-TV can be reached at [email protected].

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