If you’ve read Clue Into Cleveland for a while or know me IRL, you know that groups and events for Cleveland young professionals top the list of my passions.

I am incredibly grateful and lucky to have come across PlayhouseSquare Partners after moving to Cleveland because it’s given Scott and me a ton of opportunities to develop professionally and personally.

We’ve met fantastic friends, learned from some great leaders, and had a chance to give back to an institution that means a lot to us. And it’s something that I see not just in Partners, but across many of the city’s young professionals groups.

It’s why I’m so happy that the Cleveland Zoological Society is adding their name to the list of local organizations focusing their attention on the twenty-something to forty crowd.

When Scott and I attended last month’s Animal Attractions, the Zoological Society unveiled Ambassadors’ Circle, their new initiative designed to foster the next generation of Clevelanders who share a passion for animal conservation and wildlife.

Starting in May, the Zoo’s Ambassadors’ Circle will help host a series of events for YPs, including a Wine & Paint (May 7), ZippityZooDoo (June 5), the Twilight at the Zoo VIP Party (August 7) and my personal favorite Date Night at the ZOOvies (August date TBA, but tickets will go on sale June 15).

Just like Animal Attractions, these events help raise money and awareness for conservation efforts while giving attendees an opportunity to cut loose with the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s very own party animals. 

Ambassadors’ Circle members will also get the opportunity to:

• Participate in Urban Safaris — culture and education programming at different locations around town
• Support animal care and learning opportunities for over 100,000 Northeast Ohio school children
• Engage in the planning and implementation of Ambassadors’ Circle activities
• Receive discounts on select tickets
• Receive invitations to seasonal exhibitions and celebrations
• And meet other like-minded animal lovers and young community leaders

The cost is pretty reasonable as well, starting at just $10/month for individuals and $15/month for couples, which includes 4 Zoo passes.

I’m really excited to see what the Zoo continues to offer with this group. For those who join it now, I think you’ll find the experience incredibly rewarding and will have the opportunity to shape the group’s growth.

If you’re interested in joining or learning more about Ambassadors’ Circle, email YP@ClevelandZooSociety.org, call 216.661.6500 x4530 or read the Cleveland Zoological Society’s announcement. 

Disclosure: I attended Animal Attractions in exchange for previewing the event on my blog. I am also the chair of PlayhouseSquare’s young professionals group. All opinions here are 100% my own.

Over the holidays, Scott and I celebrated our tenth anniversary together. I know that’s not so long for others (I marvel at my parents who have been married for over 45 and together for over half a century). But still, a decade.

All those mushy feelings make getting through the drabness of another cold winter much easier to bear. Because there’s nothing like a little bit of passion to warm the cockles of your heart when temperatures dip into the single digits.

The Cleveland Zoological Society knows what I’m talking about. This February 5th, join them in the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s RainForest for one of my favorite winter events, Animal Attractions.

Animal Attractions is an evening for adults only, featuring food, cocktails, and fun presentations on the birds and the bees … and lions and tigers and bears … oh my.

In addition to the food, drinks, and presentations at Animal Attractions, some of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s animals will be on hand for up-close meet and greets.

From 6:00 to 9:00 pm, guests can enjoy a sampling of tastes from these area restaurants:

• AMP 150
• Butcher & The Brewer
• Cleveland Cupcake Company
• Creekside Restaurant & Bar
• Great Lakes Brewing Company
• House of Blues Cleveland
• Merwin’s Wharf
• Tremont Tap House
• Whole Foods Market Cedar Center

I’m happy to see a few of my favorites from previous years’ Animal Attractions on the list (AMP 150 and Cleveland Cupcake Company are always must-stops for me!) plus new ones like Butcher & The Brewer, Merwin’s Wharf and Tremont Tap House.

An open bar from Samuel Adams and Rain Organics Vodka, plus wine tastings round out the evening’s menu.

You’ll also enjoy conservation education with a twist at Animal Attractions. In years past, Scott and I attended a 50 Shades of Grey presentation about the zoo’s elephants and a trivia game on the mating habits of bears.

All in all, it’s a wonderful evening out at one of Cleveland’s most beautiful spots. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s RainForest showcases more than 10,000 plants and over 600 animals from the jungles of Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Dr Chris Kuhar, the Zoo’S Executive Director, will be among the featured speakers at Animal Attractions

With a 25-foot waterfall, research hut, and other interactive exhibits, the two-acre, two-level indoor space is a wonderful way to enjoy the Zoo — especially when it’s so cold out. Getting the chance to explore it after-hours is definitely another perk to attending Animal Attractions.

General admission tickets for Animal Attractions cost $65. Or save $5 on your ticket and get a bunch of other great benefits by becoming a member of the Cleveland Zoological Society. You can purchase tickets online at www.clevelandzoosociety.org/events/2015/02/animal-attractions.

The Cleveland Zoological Society is also hosting an Animal Attractions sweepstakes on their Facebook page. You can learn more and enter it here: http://woobox.com/ronn89.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend Animal Attractions with a guest in exchange for blogging about it. I’ve attended this event in years past and opinions and the decision to blog about it are 100% my own.

Please reply to my email by the end of Monday to confirm you can attend ZOOvies.

Date Night at the ZOOvies may be sold out, but I have 2 tickets you can win

When I told Scott that we’d be seeing The Great Outdoors at this year’s Date Night at the ZOOvies, he freaked out and started spouting off a bunch of quotes.

I’ve never seen the movie, but when Scott’s face lit up at the mere mention of the movie and he told me it starred one of my favorite comic actors John Candy, I realized I had something to look forward to.

Between the John Hughes script about a camping trip gone comically awry and hijinks from Dan Akroyd and Candy, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has yet again put together the perfect late-summer outing (and birthday-eve for me!).

The pretzel and candy bars are a great touch to Date Night at the ZOOvies

On Friday, August 22, pack up your picnic blanket and lawn chairs and head to the Zoo’s Savanna Theater for an evening of The Great Outdoors … in the great outdoors!

The movie starts at 8:30pm, with hot pretzels, popcorn, a candy bar, beer, wine, and soda served during the movie, but if you get there early, you can also enjoy light apps and drinks starting at 7pm. The African Savanna and Australian Adventure will be open to tour, as well.

You can read my recap of last year’s ZOOvies for more info, but if you’ve been to Twilight at the Zoo or previous ZOOvies, you know the Cleveland Zoological Society throws a wicked party. 

Just a few of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s party animals

I’m still recuperating from the fun we had at last Friday’s Twilight. After last year’s rainstorm, this was my first time actually experiencing all of Twilight at the Zoo. 

The food line in the VIP party was definitely worth the wait – delicious oysters, ceviche, filet, and short rib sliders from Mitchell’s Fish Market, Fleming’s, AMP 150, and Carrabbas’s. While Scott tried his first sip of moonshine, we listened to The Madison Crawl and relaxed under the trees.

After meeting up with Jen and Matthew, we made our way down the hill to the Zoo’s main entrance with the goal of seeing as many bands as possible.

Even a short rain shower couldn’t stop Scott

Scott showed his proud Jersey boy roots by rocking out to Bon Jovi tribute band Wanted. We filled up on delicious Reuben Bites as Shady Drive laid down some classic rock. And we cooled down with Joe Bell and the Swing Lizards around Monkey Island.

My favorite band, though, was Craic. Every time we stopped by their stage, the crowd was having a blast, and I will never turn down an opportunity to dance to Celtic rock.

I can’t wait for August 22 for more summer fun at the Zoo. Although Date Night at the ZOOvies is sold out, I have 2 tickets to give away for you and a friend.  You won’t see Groot, but Scott told me to prepare for more talking raccoons.  I hope you can join me!

There are 5 Easy Ways to Enter the Giveaway
**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) Leave a comment with your favorite thing to see or do at the Zoo.

2) Follow @CleveZooSociety and @ADHicken on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know you did both.

3) If you’re a fan of the Cleveland Zoological Society and Clue Into Cleveland on Facebook, leave a comment on this blog post letting me know. If you’re not yet a fan, you can become one here and here.

4) Tweet the following and leave one comment letting me know you tweeted:

I want to see The Great Outdoors in the great outdoors. Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway for @CleveZooSociety #ZOOvies tix http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-2wD

You can tweet once per day for additional entries. Just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

5) Subscribe to Clue Into Cleveland via a feed tracker like Bloglovin’ or Feedly and leave one comment letting me know you did. This can also include signing up to receive email notifications in the top-right “Subscribe” section of this page.

You have until Friday, July 15 at 11:59PM to enter. On Saturday, July 16, Random.org will select a winner and I’ll announce the winner’s name on my blog.  Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend Twilight at the Zoo and Date Night at the ZOOvies with a guest in exchange for blogging about the events. My choice to blog about it is based on how much Scott and I have enjoyed this event in years past.

I don’t care what else I do between now and September — Twilight at the Zoo is my big must-do for this summer.

After scheduling conflicts kept us from going in previous years, Scott and I made sure last summer’s Twilight at the Zoo stayed open on our calendar.

And it seemed as if the gods would smile upon us for an evening of outdoor music and summer drinking … until the rains came. And, boy, did they come.

But you know what? Despite getting drenched and only seeing a few of the bands perform, Scott and I had a fantastic time with our friends. Plus we had a reason to buy matching safari hats.

(I tell myself that we needed something to keep the rain out of our eyes, but the real reason is that we love safari hats.)

I also got this awesome photo with WhyCLE’s husband:

The evening was one of the highlights of last summer, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good weather on August 1, the date of this year’s Twilight at the Zoo.

From 7pm til midnight, stages will be staggered through the Zoo, featuring 18 local bands.

There will be something to satisfy every musical taste – funk to folk, rock to reggae. This year’s bands include:

• 1988
• Abby Normal and the Detroit Lean 
• Almost Famous
• Armstrong Bearcat
• Joe Bell & The Swing Lizards
• CRAIC
• Disco Inferno
• Funkology
• Jah Messengers
• The Madison Crawl
• Robbing Mary
• Rock the House Live!
• Run Avril Run
• SchoolGirl Crush
• Shady Drive
• Skin & Bones
• Velvet Shake
• Wanted – The Bon Jovi Tribute Band 

General admission tickets, which cost $80 per person or $700 for a block of 10, also include free Sam Adams beer, Twisted Tea, wine and soda and a selection of small bites to eat.

Upgrade to VIP tickets ($150 per ticket/$1200 for block of 10) and get access to the VIP party from 6-9pm.  VIP partygoers enjoy priority parking and early entry, an open bar, and catering by AMP150, Carrabba’s, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Mitchell’s Fish Market. 

And don’t drink and drive: Arrange for a designated driver or book one of the Zoo’s hotel/ticket packages with the Cleveland Airport Marriott.

Purchase tickets online or go here for more information.

One other thing … if you’re planning on getting tickets, get them now. This event usually sells out, and if this year’s Date Night at the Zoovies is any indication (sold out yesterday for an August 22 event), Twilight tickets may be gone sooner than later.

Hope to see you there! I’ll be packing safari hat just in case.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend Twilight at the Zoo with a guest, in exchange for promoting the event. Opinions are 100% my own and based on attending last year’s Twilight.

Photo provided by ClevelandZooSociety.org, courtesy of Dale McDonald

There’s a lot going on at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo right now, as the Zoo shakes off winter and prepares for a summer full of activities. Summer Day Camp starts in less than a month, tickets are on sale for Twilight at the Zoo, and – as I write this – Carousel Works is at the zoo installing the new Circle of Wildlife carousel:

It’s no wonder with everything going on that Cleveland’s zoo is one of the final nominees in the USA Today 10Best U.S. Zoos contest. Be sure to vote for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo here!

To continue bringing us more educational and conservation activities, the Cleveland Zoological Society raises money and awareness through zoo memberships, adopt-an-animal programs and fundraising events.

Their next fundraiser, ZippityZooDoo, will be held June 6. It’s the event’s 41st year and is always a wonderful evening celebrating the kick off of the Zoo’s summer season.

ZippityZooDoo starts at 6pm with an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy strolling around parts of the Zoo and getting up-close with some of its animals.

Then at 8pm, sit beneath the summer night sky for a gourmet dinner. Check out the menu, which includes olive and goat cheese stuffed mission fig with citrus pomegranate syrup, caviar, and maple citrus glazed airline chicken.

Photo provided by ClevelandZooSociety.org, courtesy of Dale McDonald

Dancing to The Element til 11 and a silent auction featuring behind-the-scenes experiences with orangutans, gorillas, and flamingos (among many other prizes) round out the night.

The event’s goal is to raise $300,000 overall for the Zoo. Individual tickets start at $250, which includes valet parking, dinner, dancing, and entertainment. Other ticket levels include preferred seating, name recognition in the program, plus an exclusive VIP pre-party in the African Elephant Crossing. 

Learn more and get your tickets online. You can also read my recaps of the last two ZippityZooDoos here and here.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend ZippityZooDoo but am unable due to a scheduling conflict. Opinions are 100% my own and based on my experience at previous ZippityZooDoos.

Animal Attractions at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s RainForest, February 6, 6-9pm

“Baby, it’s cold (really, really cold) outside.”

It’s time to cuddle up — not just because of the cold, but also because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. (Where did the time go, right? Feels like it was just Halloween.)

That means it’s time for one of my favorite Cleveland winter events — the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s Animal Attractions.

This year’s Animal Attractions will be hosted by the Cleveland Zoological Society on February 6. It takes place inside the Zoo’s RainForest so you’ll be nice and warm to enjoy all of the food and wine and birds and the bees.

At Animal Attractions, sample food from area restaurants

From 6-9pm, enjoy an open bar, Jacob’s Creek wine tasting, and bites from:

• AMP 150
• Cleveland Cupcake Company
• Cork & Cleaver Social Kitchen
• Creekside Restaurant & Bar
• Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse
• Great Lakes Brewing Company
• House of Blues Cleveland
• Rosander Event Kitchen
• Vitamix
• Whole Foods Market Cedar Center

There will also be animal meet-and-greets and presentations throughout The RainForest about animals’ mating habits.

The most entertaining part of last year’s Animal Attractions was curator Andi Kornak’s 50 Shades of Gray presentation on elephant socialization and mating. We saw a whole lot of things we’ll never unsee and learned about how the Zoo’s female elephants interact with Willie the bull. Check out my review to read more about last year’s event and see pictures of our up-close encounters with the Zoo’s armadillo and corn snake.

Chris Kuhar gives a presentation on animals’ mating habits at last year’s Animal Attractions

Animal Attractions tickets cost $60 for Zoo members, $65 for non-members and you must be 21 or older to attend. Funds raised will benefit the Cleveland Zoological Society’s animal well-being, conservation, and educational efforts.

You can also enter the Zoo’s giveaway to win a pair of tickets to Animal Attractions by heading over to the Cleveland Zoological Society’s Facebook page between now and January 26.

This giveaway kicks off the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s new The Zoo Isn’t Just for Kids campaign. In addition to Animal Attractions, the Zoo hosts a variety of adult-only programming like their ZooKeepers’ Circle, Twilight at the Zoo music festival, and Date Night at the ZOOvies.

Learn more about the Animal Attractions giveaway at http://goo.gl/MZ4I71 and purchase tickets at ClevelandZooSociety.org.

I hope to see you on February 6!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend Animal Attractions with a guest in exchange for previewing the event on my blog. However, the choice to promote this event is 100% my own — this is a Cleveland event that I love and I’d blog about it regardless.

Birthday Drinks at B-Spot

Later this week Scott and I hit the roads to see our families and attend the Baltimore Comic Con next weekend.

The only thing I dislike about going on vacation (besides missing events like Taste of the Browns when I’m out of town) is all of the prep work needed before we leave. The packing, catching up on projects, writing and scheduling blog posts for when I’m away.

Don’t get me wrong – it pays off in the end because I can go away with a little less on my mind. It’s just that I sometimes feel like I need a vacation for my vacation.

Fortunately, we took a little break this past weekend to celebrate my birthday and relax before the busy-ness really starts up this week.

A Back to the Future birthday at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Between work, the start of a sinus infection, and dealing with a jury summons (Happy birthday, Amanda! Your friend, Lorain County), Friday was a very long day. Fortunately, Scott convinced me to pull myself out of my funk and go to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s Date Night at the Zoovies.

As soon as we got to the Zoo, my spirits lifted. It was a perfect evening weather-wise. The sky was clear, it was warm enough when the sun was shining, and a light breeze when night fell.

Date Night at the Zoovies

We enjoyed a little bit of Burning River ale with some wraps, pork, zucchini and pepper sandwiches, and spicy beef empanadas. The Zoo had a winner with those, winning over even Scott who usually doesn’t like spicy food.

Before the evening’s film began, Scott and I visited the elephants, lions, koalas and kangaroos.

Party animals at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

We had some real party animals for my birthday!

As the sun set, we took our seats on the lawn of the Zoo’s amphitheater and settled in for their showing of Back to the Future.

They put out an excellent spread of movie snacks — besides popcorn, they had pretzel sticks with cheese and a selection of other dipping sauces, as well as a table filled with all kinds of candy. I stocked up on Reese’s Pieces for my popcorn, along with a couple handfuls of Swedish Fish.

For as many times as I’ve seen Back to the Future, I always find something new to laugh at.

Spending my birthday on a date with this guy was a great way to welcome in 31:

Saturday started with a massage at Revelations Spa and a stop by Happy Dog. I couldn’t make up mind on my hot dog toppings – so I figured “Hey, it’s my birthday! I’ll have 2 hot dogs!”

Happy Dog Trio

Worth it!

On Saturday night we got together with a different group of party animals to see the third installment in the Blood and Ice Cream ‘Cornetto’ Trilogy.

As with most of my favorite movies, I can thank Scott for introducing me to Shaun of the Dead, and then Hot Fuzz.

Although not a thematic trilogy, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and this weekend’s The World’s End all featured director Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and have a special nod to different flavors of the Cornetto ice cream in them.

Go see this — really.

What Shaun of the Dead was to zombie movies and Hot Fuzz to buddy cop films, The World’s End is to alien-invasion apocalypse films. Seriously, it was perfect that this came out on my birthday.

We gathered a group of Blood and Ice Cream fans (and people who like me enough to go see it) and met up at Crocker Park. Because the movies feature ice cream, we headed to Menchie’s for a pre-movie frozen treat.

Surprisingly, most of us (including Scott and me) had never been to Menchie’s before. I think all of the toppings — especially the cereal ones — really took us by surprise. Pleasant surprise.

My first Menchie’s

I was really happy with my Menchie’s creation – a combination of Irish mint frozen yogurt, coconut, white chocolate chips, caramel chocolate turtles and salted peanuts.

The movie exceeded all of my fangirl expectations. If you like any combination of British humor, bar crawls, aliens, robots, or the apocalypse, do yourself a favor and see it.

Afterwards I stayed up way too late and enjoyed a couple drinks at B-Spot. Do you like bourbon? I recommend trying their Midnight Manhattan.  I was a little leery about a Manhattan on draft, but it was WOW!

Sunday, it was back to reality. But that was enough to get me through the next few days and off on vacation. Let the countdown begin!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend Date Night at the Zoovies in exchange for hosting a giveaway. My opinions of the event are 100% my own.

Twilight at the Zoo 2013

Sometimes the weather gods try to ruin the best of plans. Perfect example: Our first Twilight at Zoo on Friday night. However, try as Friday’s monsoon might, it couldn’t stop us from having a wild time at the Zoo!

Fortunately before the rain started, we were able to sample some of the food and drink at the VIP party.  We enjoyed tastings from Mitchell’s Fish Market, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and AMP 150 (their crab and salad plates are pictured above).

We also enjoyed a few sips of Fireball and Firefly Moonshine. The Fireball+Angry Orchard mix was so good that I risked running through the storm for some more – it was worth it.

The one downside was that we didn’t have a chance to see a lot of the bands. However, we escaped inside the Primate, Cat and Aquatics building when the rain started, where we made our own fun and visited with some beautiful creatures.

We may have called it an early night, but I now see why it’s the summer party on everyone’s list.  It also didn’t hurt that this year’s Twilight at the Zoo raised $590,000 for the Zoo and its programs!

Fortunately, the Cleveland Zoological Society has
one more party up its sleeve this summer!

On August 23, make a date for the Zoo’s 2nd annual Date Night at the Zoovies.

From 7-8pm, enjoy free beer, wine and light appetizers while exploring the Australian Adventure and African Savanna sections of the Zoo.

At 8:30pm, it’s “your density – I mean destiny” to bring your blanket and chairs to the Savanna Theater for a viewing of Back to the Future under the night sky.

Hot pretzels, popcorn, candy, beer, wine, soda and water will be available for free during the movie.

It was such a great time last year that this year’s Date Night at the Zoovies has already sold out.  Don’t worry, though, because I have 2 tickets to give away!

How to enter: Do one, some, or all five of the entries. A separate comment is needed for each.

5 Easy Ways to Enter the Giveaway
**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) When you visit the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, what’s your favorite part? Leave one comment with your answer, good for one entry.

2) Follow @CleveZooSociety and @ADHicken on Twitter and leave one comment on this post telling me you did both.

3) If you’re a fan of Clue Into Cleveland and the Cleveland Zoological Society on Facebook, leave one comment on this blog post letting me know. If you’re not yet a fan, you can become one here and here.

4) Tweet the following and leave one comment letting me know you tweeted:

Hop in your DeLorean with @CleveZooSociety! Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway to win tickets to Date Night at the #ZOOvies http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-29I

You can tweet once per day for additional entries. Just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

5) Subscribe to Clue Into Cleveland via a feed tracker like Bloglovin’ or Feedly and leave one comment letting me know you did. This can also include signing up to receive email notifications in the top-right “Subscribe” section of this page.

You have until August 12 at 11:59PM to enter. On August 13, I will select a winner using Random.org and announce the winner’s name on Clue Into Cleveland. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

DeLorean photo source: AdamL212

Disclosure: Photos courtesy of Cleveland Zoological Society. In exchange for posting about the Zoo’s summer events and hosting a Zoovies giveaway, I was invited to attend Twilight at the Zoo and Date Night at the Zoovies. My choice to host this giveaway and opinions of Twilight are my own.

After transforming the Zoo into a festive patio party, the Cleveland Zoological Society continues to rock this summer with Twilight at the Zoo, August 2.

I can’t believe summer is already halfway through. On the one hand, it’s mid-July and Labor Day feels like it’s around the corner. But then I also feel like the Cleveland Zoological Society’s ZippityZooDoo was just yesterday. Their annual summer kickoff was so much fun that it’ll be hard to forget any time soon.

Decorations from the peacock-themed ZippityZooDoo

As Scott and I walked into the Zoo on June 7, we were met with a landscape of blues, purples and greens. Giant (fake) peacocks were perched above on trapeze swings and sounds from The Orchestra welcomed us to the gorgeous patio party.

Some of the delicious and colorful food at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s ZippityZooDoo

After we walked around and caught up with the animals, we enjoyed a dinner of watermelon and herbed feta salad, coffee-rubbed filet with roasted potatoes and vegetables, and a lemon almond terrine. I’m also stealing their crudite-in-a-cup idea for my next party.

Post-dinner we stalked a few silent auction items (a basket of bubbles had my name all over it) and danced a bit like fools (in only the best way!):

Acting silly with WhyCLE and Poise in Parma at ZippityZooDoo

My favorite part, though, was the carousel-carving demonstration for the Zoo’s new Circle of Wildlife Carousel. The Mansfield, OH-based company Carousel Works – the world’s largest manufacturer of wooden carousels – is handcrafting a custom-designed carousel that’s coming to the Zoo next year.

I loved catching a peek at some of the beautiful and unique creatures that will be on the Carousel, like the giant squid they were carving at the demo.

Carousel Works handcarves one of the pieces for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s new carousel and shows off some of their beautiful work

If you missed ZippityZooDoo, don’t worry — the Cleveland Zoological Society’s next summer bash is only 2 weeks away.

From 7pm til midnight on August 2, the Zoo will host Twilight at the Zoo presented by SCENE Magazine.

Get your tickets for Twilight at the Zoo at www.clevelandzoosociety.org/events/2013/08/twilight-at-the-zoo

It’s the 20th anniversary of the event which will feature 17 local bands ranging in style from funk to folk, rock to reggae:

• 1988 (80’s hair band)
• Almost Famous (pop/rock)
• Armstrong Bearcat (rock)
• SchoolGirl Crush (UPDATE: This band was added on 7/24)
• Craic (celtic rock)
• Disco Inferno (70’s & 80’s)
• Funkology (50’s, 60’s, & 70’s)
• Jah Messengers (reggae)
• Joe Bell & The Swing Lizards (swing & blues)
• Robbing Mary (country/rock)
• Run Avril Run (pop/dance)
• Shady Drive (blues/rock)
• Skin & Bones (rock/pop/old school rap & hip hop)
• The Madison Crawl (swing & jump blues)
• The Roadhouse Band (country/80’s rock)
• Velvet Shake (pop/dance)
• Wanted – Bon Jovi Tribute (bon jovi cover band)

Twilight at the Zoo general admission costs $80 and includes cover, light appetizers, complimentary Samuel Adams beer, Jacob’s Creek wine, Twisted Tea and soda.

VIP tickets are sold out but general admission is still available. Twilight at the Zoo sells out every year so be sure to scoop up the last of the tickets before it’s too late.

Purchase tickets and get info on hotel packages with the Airport Cleveland Marriott at www.clevelandzoosociety.org/events/2013/08/twilight-at-the-zoo

You can also keep track of updates about the event – like new bands and giveaways – at facebook.com/clevelandzoologicalsociety or by following the #TwilightAtTheZoo hashtag and @clevezoosociety.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend both ZippityZooDoo and Twilight at the Zoo in exchange for blogging about the events. My opinions of all events are my own.

Each June, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo kicks off summer with a fantastic dinner, cocktails, and dancing under the warm night sky.

More than just a party with the animals, ZippityZooDoo has also been raising money for the last 40 years for the Zoo’s educational initiatives – making it Cleveland’s longest running benefit.

For instance, the live auction at last year’s ZippityZooDoo raised over $51,000 in Zoo scholarships – providing Summer Day Camp scholarships, free lunches, and ZooBus trips to 25,000 students.

The Moulin Rouge-themed ZippityZooDoo last June was my first, and the 4-course dinner, after-dark Zoo exhibits, and gorgeous Parisian decor blew me away.

(Check out my Zoolin Rouge recap and the Cleveland Zoological Society’s video to see why.)

Last year’s Zoulin Rouge-themed ZippityZooDoo transformed the Zoo into a Parisian patio

This year’s ZippityZooDoo takes place Friday, June 7. From 6pm – midnight, enjoy:

An open bar and delicious food like Coffee-Rubbed Filet Mignon with a Madeira Wine Mushroom Glace and Shaved Roast Asian Duck Breast with Toasted Sesame Jicama Slaw and Wonton Crisp.

The Wild Side Silent Auction featuring one-of-a-kind zoo experiences, including behind-the-scenes visits with the orangutans and the end-of-summer flamingo round-up.

Music and dancing from The Orchestra and up-close animal encounters. Last year, we were treated to Kallie the Elephant taking a swim. I can’t wait to see what happens this year!

Kallie at last year’s ZippityZooDoo

Individual reservations start at $250, which includes food, drink, entertainment and valet parking.  $175 of this is tax-deductible.

Learn more and make your reservation at clevelandzoosociety.org/events.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend ZippityZooDoo in exchange for blogging about it. I also received one discounted ticket for a guest. My opinions and the choice of which events I preview are my own. As noted, the photo of Kallie was provided courtesy of Dale McDonald.