Lansing - Among the floating holiday tunes, a spectacle of lights housed blue, skating bears, pink ice fishing penguins and golden llamas.
Potter Park & Zoo, 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., kicked off its holiday event, Wonderland of Lights, on Wednesday evening. The event will run every day from 5-8 p.m. through Dec. 31, except on Christmas Eve and Christmas night.
Lansing was the first city to be welcomed in a string of communities that have been invited to share their own night at the zoo. Twelve other cities will each have a night at the zoo dedicated to its community.
“The zoo is beautiful and it gets people into the spirit for Christmas,” said Judy Kish spokeswoman for the Potter Park Zoological Society.
Along with the Lansing night at Wonderland of Lights, the collection of toys for the U.S. Marine Corps. Reserve Toys for Tots Program was also launched at the zoo’s main gate.
“We’ve collected quite a few toys,” Kish said. “It was nice to kick off Toys for Tots because kids and zoos kind of go hand-in-hand.”
Lansing Mayor David Hollister came to the event to kick off Lansing’s official holiday season.
“Lansing is a world class city and every (world class city) has a zoo,” Hollister said. “Potter Park is a wonderful asset.”
For eight years Hollister has been coming out to support the zoo, and he said he was impressed with Toys for Tots, with all the volunteers and lights this year. The only thing missing was the snow, he said.
“When it’s snowing and people are caroling, it’s magical,” Hollister said. “This place just brings back a lot of memories - the kids always wanted to go to the zoo.”
He said the zoo is a great place to celebrate the holidays because there’s something for everyone.
“There’s wild turkeys, deer, peacocks and there’s even endangered species like the rhino,” he said.
Lansing Deputy Mayor David Wiener came out to support Lansing along with the mayor.
It’s nice to see all the lights and the Marines collecting Toys for Tots,” he said.
Savannah Zelek, 5, of Lansing, said she liked all the lights as well as the animals, especially the white tiger.
“He looks like my kitty, Brownie,” she said. “My mommy said she’s scared of all the animals - I said, ‘They are all locked up in the cages.’”
As a member of the zoo, Lansing township resident Michael Fisher said he comes out to the Wonderland of Lights every year. This year he came with his two daughters Audrey, 3, and Abby, 5, and they watched the reindeer and donkeys.
In her pink hat and matching gloves, Audrey said, “I like the lights, but the donkeys are nice too.”
Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and $1 for those 3 to 15 years old. Child admission is free for every Toys for Tots donation. For more information, call the Potter Park Zoological Society at (517)371-2832.
