Little Ponderosa fall festival was a success
Howl-o-Ween event set for Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25
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Ethan and Ashley Moneymaker and their son, Wyatt, of Anderson County check out some of the juvenile goats at Little Ponderosa during last Saturday’s fall festival. - G. Chambers Williams III
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Bambi Kern and her dad, James, of Corryton check out the alpacas at Little Ponderosa Zoo and Wildlife Rescue during the zoo’s fall festival on Saturday (Oct. 4). - G. Chambers Williams III
Little Ponderosa Zoo and Wildlife Rescue’s annual fall festival last weekend was a success, the zoo’s co-director Corbin Cox said Monday.
“Saturday was a real good turnout,” he said. “Sunday was a little slow, but it was the first time we did it on a Sunday. We decided to hold the event for two days this year because it involves so much to set it up.”
Besides vendors on hand for both days, the zoo also had live entertainment and even an animal adoption event.
“The adoption event went way better than I thought it would, with seven animals adopted in total,” Cox said.
That included two parakeets, a tortoise, a rat, and three guinea pigs.One of the birds adopted was a 42-year-old Nande parakeet named Bopper.
Next on the zoo’s calendar is the annual Howl-O-Ween Trick-or-Treat event, which will be held from 6-8 p.m. on four nights: Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18 and 24-25.
Tickets are $8 each and are available to purchase now online at zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/trick-or-treat.
Little Ponderosa’s fall festival is an important fundraising event, helping the zoo to buy the necessary feed and supplies to keep its animals warm and happy over the coming winter.
The zoo’s animals were the stars of the festival, including plenty of goats, many of whom were roaming the grounds and making friends with the visitors; and Baby Cash, a curious, friendly young camel that the zoo acquired two years ago as a rescue.
The marmoset monkey exhibit, opened last year, was a popular place for visitors.
Their enclosure was built by zoo co-directors Cade and Corbin Cox.
Little Ponderosa is at 629 Granite Road, in the Dutch Valley community of northwestern Anderson County between Clinton and Rocky Top.
Regular operating days and hours for the Little Ponderosa are Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday from noon-5 p.m.