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Boo! at the Zoo
Published 10/22/2007 in News : Area coverage By Scott Bershof
Rockstars and cats, ninjas and fairies, football players and Lindsay Lohan, all came together for this year's Boo! at the Zoo.
The weather might have been the biggest treat of the night, with evening temperatures in the 80s.
Unless of course you were couped up in a hot, scarey costume like Bob Prewitt, director of Finney County Emergency Medical Services.
Finney County EMS has been a "treat stop" at Boo! at the Zoo since its beginnings.
Paramedic Theresa Maddox dished out candy and struggled to keep up with the steady stream of open bags.
"It's awesome, creepy," she said of the event. "We do it for the community, the kids, for a safe Halloween."
And, of course, the fun of seeing how the children will dress up each year.
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Shaurice Olivas, right, hands out candy at the St. Catherine Hospital 'Funny Farm' booth Saturday at Lee Richardson Zoo during Boo! at the Zoo.
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Scarecrow Anya Miller, 2, sits on her dad, Justin's, shoulders to get a better view while waiting in line Saturday for Boo! at the Zoo.
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Gene Sloan, Satanta, right, has a laugh with Xochitl Ramirez, left, as he gets some candy from the Golden Corral booth Saturday at Lee Richardson Zoo during Boo! at the Zoo.
Mark Estrada helped hand out candy at the ABATE of Kansas stop. He's a district representative for the group that stands for "A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactment's and American Bikers Aimed Toward Education."
The group has been handing out candy at the event for at least eight years, he said.
"This is probably the best climate I've seen," he said. "I'm a strong believer in the zoo. For southwest Kansas, it's a drawing point."
Of the night, Estrada said, "This is a blast. You see so many people you know."
For Allison, 12, Rebecca, 9, and Kyle, who turns 6 today, Doll, it was their first time. The three came with grandma Susan Heiman, and said when they come again, they'll know to get there earlier.
They entered the end of the long line at 6 p.m.
Allison, dressed as Lindsay Lohan, said they saw the event in the paper and "thought it would be cool."
She wore a tank top, black pants and boots and the signature long red hair. Allison said the spiders in her hair were from Lohan's stint in jail.
Sister Rebecca didn't know what she was, but her sister determined she could be a dead volleyball player since she donned a painted face and YMCA volleyball shirt.
Brother Kyle didn't need an introduction. He was a Kansas City Chiefs football player.
Along the way, some commented on his team.
"Go Chiefs! I don't know how many Broncos I've seen go through," one lady said.
They weaved and pointed, laughed and chatted through singing witches, a dark tunnel with creatures stirring and graveyards with epitaphs like, "Jack O. Lantern. Smashed. 1871," and "I Told You I Was Sick."
The tunnel, likely the scariest stop, didn't phase the then-5-year-old.
Asked about it, he said, "That's not too bad at all."
The once-a-year atmosphere excited the football player, who after going through the Seven Dwarfs, shouted to grandma, "There's a bunch of stuff cool. I wish I had this much stuff."
The three ended their first Boo! at the Zoo by listening to a skeleton singing ZZ Top's hit, "Sharp Dressed Man."
They left, raring to eat some candy, and make way for next week's trick-or-treating.
The Friends of the Lee Richardson Zoo fundraiser helps the group in its mission to better the zoo and its exhibits. The event drew about 5,800 people and raised at least $14,000, said FOLRZ Development Director Christine Siebert this morning.
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