Two-year-old Thomas Gaster makes friends with a pygmy goat during the zoo's opening day May 5, 1985. Also pictured is older brother James Gaster, 3.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryMatt Trout, 4, makes friends with an ostrich at the Lincoln Children's Zoo in this 1978 photograph.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryMembers of Lincoln Elks Lodge 80 serve fresh buttered popcorn during the zoo's second season in 1966. Pictures (from left) are Lori Shelton, 5; Vince Collura, Elks past exalted ruler; David Wolatz, 5; Spahnle Freeman and Andrea Freeman, 4.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryIn this 1990 photo, zoo educator Kathy French introduces Jamie Burner, 9; Holly Ehrlich, 10; and Ryan Ehrlich, 8, to Booger, a blue and gold macaw.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryYoung visitors Holly Yost, Laura Scheweitzer and Mary McMurtry enjoy a human's eye-view of Simon the owl. This photo appeared June 2, 1974, in the Journal Star.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryA pygmy goat gets a little friendly with Kathy Porto during opening day of the zoo in 1986.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryIn 1977, two pygmy hippos arrived at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. The hippos moved into the pool that formerly housed a pair of sea lions. In this photo, one of the hippos enjoys a marshmallow.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryAlan Bietz served as the zoo's director from 1973 to 1986. In this 1975 photo, he and Melinda Silber of Raytown, Mo., call part of the Bambi herd to chow.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryServal kittens greeted zoo-goers in 1979. Although only one kitten can be seen in the photo, a second is hiding behind mom Patches.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryIn 1991, zoo director John Chapo (right) and zoo board chair Nadine McHenry were presented with two stuffed spectacled bears, symbolic of the two new bears the Downtown Optimists helped purchase for the zoo. Cuddling the stuffed bears are Optimists Suzanne Reeves-Lintz and Jim Johnson.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryJanet Folsom, wife of zoo founder Arnott Folsom, was called the "guardian angel" of the zoo. Here she is shown with Bo the boa constrictor, one of the first animals at the zoo. Bo often accompanied the Folsoms on fundraising ventures. This 1984 photo was taken at the Folsom home, where Bo and Sandy, a bandit sand snake, resided while their zoo home was built.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryIn 1976 the Lincoln Children's Zoo introduced Halloween Hullabaloo complete with costumed characters and treats. The annual trick-or-treat event continues today under the name Boo at the Zoo. This photo taken in 1994 shows (from left): Ryan Carlson, 7; scarecrow Gene Brownson; lobster, Brownson's wife Terrie; and Kyyle Carlson, 2.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryZoo workers wash and feed baby elephant Ellie Mae at the zoo in this 1969 photo. Ellie Mae was actually a boy.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryRandy Scheer came to the Lincoln Children's Zoo nearly three decades ago as a keeper. Today he is the zoo's curator of animals. This 1995 photo shows him feeding an unidentified camel.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryActors from the zoo's Bird Cage Theatre often interacted with zoo-goers. This photo was taken in 1970.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryTibet, the beloved camel, arrived at the Lincoln Children's Zoo in 1987. She gave birth to three calves camels over the years. Here she is pictured with her 12-day-old son OD in March 1997. Tibet retired from the zoo in 2009.
Journal Star file photo Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryIn the early years, the Lincoln Children's Zoo had its own post office and its own postmark. This 1982 photo features retired postal worker Vernon Hermann manning the zoo's post office window.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryFrom the very beginning, the Lincoln Children's Zoo was created to give children first-hand experiences with nature and her creatures. In this 1972 photo, Linda Dare puckers up to a baby coypu.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryRobert Spencer was the very first director at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. In this October 1968 photo, he is shown with Angela the anteater.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryEveryone knew the Kodiak bear as Ben. And the story was he was "the Ben" of the popular late 1960s television show "Gentle Ben." But the bear's name was really Zach, and he was not the star of the show. However, he once played a bit part in the series. Here Zach, aka Ben, devours a birthday cake in honor of the zoo's 15th anniversary in 1980.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryAdelion and her "boyfriend" Bottomlion (top) opened the zoo's 16th season in 1981.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryThe Iron Horse Railroad began running two years before the Lincoln Children's Zoo opened in 1965. For a small fee, families could ride the train and watch the zoo be built from the ground up.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryIn this 1996 photo, Senator Ernie Chambers (right) brings zoo curator Randy Scheer a Burmese python that had been surrendered by its owner after the snake bit him and wrapped around his arm. The children's zoo tested the snake for health issues and found it a home at another zoo.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryFormer zookeeper Tracie Benton takes Courtney the pig out on a zoo stroll in this 1986 photo. Two years later, Benton married zoo executive director John Chapo. The couple recently celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryThe Christmas Mouse leads Pat Piper (left) and Stephen Froscheiser (right) through Plum Pudding Square in a precursor to the zoo's annual Christmas celebration.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryWhile the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra presented its Zoo's-A-Pop-In concert at the zoo on June 17, 1977, 3-year-old Stephanie Beir shares her popcorn with a friendly rooster.
LJS file Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryThe only thing Arnott Folsom loved more than animals was people, according to Robert Spencer, the first director of the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Folsom decided Lincoln needed a children's zoo in 1959; six years later, it opened.
Journal Star file photo Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th AnniversaryLeo the Paper-Eating Lion was at the zoo on opening day July 21, 1965. Fifty years later, Leo is still delighting trash tossing children. This photo taken in 1996 shows then 5-year-old Kelsey Reifert "feeding" Leo.
Journal Star file photo PenguinsHumboldt Penguins gather for feeding at the Lincoln Children's Zoo Tuesday.
ERIC GREGORY/Lincoln Journal Star Crocodile Country“Swamp Pa,†31 years old, poses for pictures at Lincoln Children’s Zoo, where he and his mate, “Swamp Ma,†age 38, hold the distinction of being the Zoo’s oldest residents, according to Zoo President and CEO John Chapo. “That’s current company excluded, of course,†mused the affable Chapo, the Lincoln zoo’s administrator since 1986.
The zoo residents are Dwarf African Crocodiles, the world’s smallest of the crocodilian group. “They love the hot Nebraska summers but must move inside for our Nebraska winters and fall,†said Chapo. “They store fat in their tails and have successfully bred here, producing healthy offspring that have moved on to other zoos.â€
Zoo guests can visit them every day in their water exhibit near the Bald eagles and River otters at the zoo, 27th and B streets. The zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays in August.
“Zoobilee,†the zoo’s 50th anniversary celebration, is a free family event coming to Pinnacle Bank Arena from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. next Saturday, Aug. 8, and will feature Larry the Cable Guy, and children’s music bands The Okee Dokee Brothers and Recess Monkey.
DENNIS BUCKLEY PHOTO/NEIGHBORHOOD EXTRA Zoo Camp FeatureLINCOLN, NEB - 06/23/2015 Keynen Lyam reacts as a goat bites down on his shirt inside the petting zoo during Zoo Camp on Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Zoo Camp focuses on animal interaction and behind the scene experiences for children during the summertime. JENNA VONHOFE/Lincoln Journal Star
JENNA VONHOFE/Lincoln Journal St John Chapo visits with guests, band plays in backgroundJohn Chapo, Lincoln Children’s Zoo president and CEO, visits with guests while the band entertains in the background at a previous Brews at the Zoo event.
PHOTO BY MARK SCHWANINGER, EDITOR Children's Zoo Turn 50Zoogoers enjoy the sunny 81-degree weather on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, near the recognizable sign at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. The zoo is celebrating 50 years of entertaining the Lincoln community. The zoo is 100 percent funded by the public, from memberships, entry fees, train rides and even the money people pay to feed the animals. MATT RYERSON/Lincoln Journal Star
MATT RYERSON/Lincoln Journal Star Earth Wellness FestivalLincoln Children's Zoo President John Chapo shows a Galápagos tortoise to a group of fifth-graders during the 21st annual Earth Wellness Festival on Wednesday at Southeast Community College. The tortoise was the heaviest animal brought by the zoo and required a hand cart to travel. The goal of the annual festival, which attracts more than 3,000 fifth-graders from 44 Lancaster County schools, is to provide fun, hands-on activities to educate the students about the environment and nature.
MATT RYERSON/Lincoln Journal Star zoo timeline butterfly pavilionShannon Sullivan tries to hold still as a monarch butterfly lands on her nose in Laura's Butterfly Pavilion shortly after it opened in 2008 at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
Lincoln Journal Star file photo Leo the paper-eating lionChildren feed Leo the paper-eating lion in this 1960s postcard photo. Leo has become a fixture that remains part of the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.
COURTESY PHOTO Critter KeepersPokey, the lesser hedgehog tenrec, snuggles into the palms of Logan Ostergard, 6, during the Critter Keepers winter zoo camp on Monday at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
KRISTIN STREFF/Lincoln Journal Star Red PandaZookeeper Sarah Jurgens plays with Lincoln, a red panda cub, on Jan. 21, 2014, at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
KRISTIN STREFF/Lincoln Journal Star Boo at the ZooRobert Ybarra, Jonette Ybarra and Michael Ybarra, 4, take off from the train depot after filling up on candy during Boo at the Zoo at the Lincoln Children's Zoo on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014.
MATT MASIN/Lincoln Journal Star Red Panda Cubs, 09/04/2014LINCOLN, NEB - 09/04/2014 - Zookeeper Davi Ann Norsworthy considers how she is going to get one of the twin red panda cubs to eat from a bottle on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. KRISTIN STREFF/Lincoln Journal Star
KRISTIN STREFF/Lincoln Journal Star Breakfast with the PenguinsThe first Breakfast with the Penguins at the Lincoln Children's Zoo sold out in about 30 minutes last year. Participants were fed a pancake breakfast and given the opportunity to feed small fish to the penguins.
MATT RYERSON/Journal Star file photo Wallaby joeyLiv, a 7-month-old wallaby, nurses on formula from a bottle provided by zookeeper Taylor Daniels in the animal care center at Lincoln Children's Zoo Tuesday.
GWYNETH ROBERTS/Lincoln Journal Star 140505_Herps_Tiger_Beetle_107232Volunteers work to remove Salt Creek tiger beetle larvae from rearing tubes at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
Joel Startore © 2014 Rock with the Crocs, 06/30/2013David Krier, 5 (from left), Lorelei Jobst, 3, and Josie Jobst, 5, dance to the music of The Okee Dokee Brothers as they perform during Rock with the Crocs Sunday, June 30, 2013, at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
KRISTIN STREFF/Lincoln Journal Star What's new at the zoo -- new murals in Animal Kingdom BuildingMike Nelson works inside one of the animal enclosures as Mural Mural Graphics gives the Animal Kingdom building a facelift for the new season.
ERIC GREGORY/Lincoln Journal Star Zoofari with Larry the Cable GuyLarry the Cable Guy holds a red-tailed boa constrictor in a frame grab from a "Zoofari with Larry the Cable Guy" video. The educational videos, produced in cooperation with Larry the Cable Guy, the Git-R-Done Foundation and Lincoln Children's Zoo, feature Larry the Cable Guy and zoo CEO John Chapo interacting with animals. The videos will be given to children's hospitals and rehabilitation centers across the country.
Courtesy photo Folsom Children's Zoo Lions in WinterOne way the lion and lioness at Folsom Children's Zoo keep warm in the winter is by cuddling, but they do have shelters available and also get extra bedding and food. December 23, 1982. Humberto Ramirez/Lincoln Journal Star. LJS Library archive photo
Humberto Ramirez ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal StarPrepared for his annual physical, Gideon, a 16-year-old white-handed gibbon, is lifted to the examining table by animal curator Randy Scheer at the Lincoln Children's Zoo on Thursday, May 27, 2010.
ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star Camel rides at Lincoln Children's ZooQuinn Rosno (left), 7 and his brother Oakley, 8, catch a ride on Goliath, an 8-year-old dromedary camel led by Thomas Ramsey (not pictured) on Thursday, May 24, 2012, at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Camel rides will be offered every day through Labor Day. (GWYNETH ROBERTS/Lincoln Journal Star)
GWYNETH ROBERTS/Lincoln Journal Star Lincoln Children's ZooZookeeper Anita Olson cleans a saddle on April 11, 2012, at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. The Wrangler Round-Up has rain gardens in the center to capture run-off to be used to water plantings. When the trees are grown, they will provide horses and riders some extra shade.
ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star Lincoln Children's ZooPreparing for opening day, Lincoln Children's Zoo facilities manager Bill Van Dyke calculates the number of bolts needed to secure the new sign next to the camels on Tuesday, April 10, 2012.
ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star ReindeerThis reindeer doesn't seem to mind the snow Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, during the Zoobilee, an annual holiday celebration at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
JACOB HANNAH/Lincoln Journal Star Chapo Boo at the Zoo 2With the completion of beard extensions for his role as The Wizard for Boo at the Zoo, the Lincoln Children's Zoo's John Chapo gets a look at his new appearance as hair stylist Laura Cartwright holds up a mirror. (ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star)
ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star Marmoset Reillo, a pygmy marmoset at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, is fed mashed banana with formula. (ROBERT BECKER / Lincoln Journal Star) ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal St Zoo goat Ruby, a 3-week-old pygmy goat, cuddles up to Lincoln Children's Zoo staff worker Natalie Wertz on Wednesday morning, April 6, 2011. (FRANCIS GARDLER / Lincoln Journal Star) FRANCIS GARDLER/Lincoln Journal Children's Zoo Turn 50Zoogoers enjoy the sunny 81-degree weather on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, near the recognizable sign at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. The zoo is celebrating 50 years of entertaining the Lincoln community. The zoo is 100 percent funded by the public, from memberships, entry fees, train rides and even the money people pay to feed the animals.
MATT RYERSON/Lincoln Journal Star file photo Penguins (copy)Humboldt Penguins gather for feeding at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. The zoo closes for the season on Sunday.
ERIC GREGORY/Lincoln Journal Star Boo at the ZooChildren will be able to ride the rails, fill up on candy and more at this year's Boo at the Zoo, running from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 26-30 at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
Lincoln Journal Star file photo
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