Introduction

Be a Part of Boo at the Zoo!

Be a Part of Boo at the Zoo!

A small pumpkin patch outside the SF Teaching Zoo set up for the annual Boo at the Zoo event October 31.

September 15, 2023 – The Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo’s 27th annual Boo at the Zoo returns on Halloween Day, Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 3-7 p.m. You or your department can participate in the event in the following ways:

  1. Represent your department to over 5,000 guests that attend this annual event at a table. Fun4GatorKids hosts a KidsZone in front of the zoo, full of organizations providing activities, games, and even more candy to trick or treaters. Participation in the KidsZone is free for SF departments, however, space is very limited. If you are interested in signing up for a booth, please email christina.arnold@sfcollege.edu by Monday, Oct. 9. Booths must be set up by 1 p.m., and be fully staffed from 2-7 p.m.
  2. Donate candy for the event! We encourage you to donate bags of individually wrapped, unopened candy, labeled with your name, department and extension. Please do not deliver bags of candy in single-use plastic shopping bags. The department that donates the most amount of candy (by pieces) will be rewarded with a zoo ambassador animal encounter! All candy donations must be received by Friday, Oct. 27, and can be interofficed, or dropped off at the zoo’s ticket window between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily. All donors will be recognized on the Thank You banner at the event.
    1. When choosing candy, please note that the Palm Oil Shopping Guide has information on purchasing candy from companies that utilize sustainable palm oil in order to help the future of White-handed gibbons and orangutans.
  3. Carve or decorate a pumpkin to be featured in the Boo at the Zoo photo spot! All pumpkins will be entered into a contest to be voted on by zoo students, and the winner will receive a Galapagos tortoise OR spoonbill feeding encounter for two people. Pumpkins can only be dropped off between October 29-30, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the ticket window.
  4. Monetary donations to support this free community event are always welcome. Donations can be made online through the Santa Fe College Foundation, sent through campus mail, or hand-delivered to the zoo’s ticket window. Please make all checks payable to Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo.

For more information, please contact the zoo at 352-395-5633.