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A rolling sea of ocean-themed décor and a large crowd of revelers adorned in festive garb highlighted the Zoofari Ball XXXI: Zoofari at Sea 31st anniversary annual fundraiser to benefit the animals of the 30 acres of botanic gardens and naturalistic habitats at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
Costumes ranged from Captain Hook to cruise line voyagers, Neptune, mermaids and more, with many shades of aqua and sailor hats, tridents and life preservers.
The zoo fundraiser has been widely considered the party of the summer going on three decades now, and it is an important collaboration between the zoo and the community.
“I guess you could say that the vibe makes the party so special,” zoo director of marketing Dean Noble said. “There’s no one element that makes Zoofari stand out, but rather a combination of the beautiful garden setting, delicious food, outdoor dining and dancing under the stars. And, the fact, that everybody here is drawn together by a common purpose.”
A dedicated core of volunteers comes together every year to help transform the zoo for the throng of guests and supporters, who worked with event coordinators Lisa Carter and Nancy McToldridge, zoo director, and Behind the Scenes Event Design to create another highly successful event.
“This is one of my favorite events of the year,” guest Lara Urbany said. “The Zoofari committee always manages to come up with fun themes, and their meticulous attention to detail impresses me every year. It’s so fun to mingle with friends and dance the night away while supporting our beautiful zoo here in Santa Barbara!”
Visitors gathered to experience the beauty of the park as they paraded to the crest of a grassy embankment toward the party destination, where silent auction items, a dance floor and sea-faring-inspired fare were staged.
“The Zoofari Ball committee has been perfecting the recipe for 31 years,” Noble said. “And each Zoofari is somehow even better than the one before.”
Miss Zoofari Mindy Denson, who just finished six years as board secretary and her 13th year on the Zoofari committee, where she also is involved with the zoo audit, animal welfare and community relations, shared in the successes of the event and atmosphere.
“The silent auction was by far our largest and best yet,” Denson said. “The cruising theme had huge appeal and thus the great variety of costumes.”
The ever-popular fundraiser not only benefited the animals but also assisted the conservation and education programs that the zoo supports, such as the Discovery Pavilion, with an open animal kitchen where people can see the animal’s nutritional requirements and how they’re met.
More than $400,000 came in with the tide of the evening to support the Santa Barbara Zoo’s world-class conservation, education and animal welfare programs.
The Santa Barbara Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums to represent the highest level of animal care, and it participates in AZA endangered species programs for the Asian elephant, California condor, Channel Island fox and Western lowland gorilla, among other species.
Coming to app stores Oct. 11 is the new Condor Country video game to be released for phones, iPads and computers, telling the story of the comeback of the California condor in an exciting new format.
Also coming next month, Oct. 21-23, is the popular Halloween festival Boo at the Zoo.
The evening of revelry continued into the night as guests stomped and danced to the sounds of party-rocking Los Angeles band The Replicas under the stars of a warm, Santa Barbara summer sky.
The Santa Barbara Zoo is a community zoo that receives no regular government funding.
“We’re here because the people of Santa Barbara wanted a world-class science and conservation organization,” Noble said. “We’re grateful that the people of Santa Barbara dedicated a breathtaking seaside estate location to make it happen.”
— Noozhawk iSociety columnist Melissa Walker can be reached at mwalker@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.
