Media Alert

March 5, 2014
Contact: Matt Reinartz
matt.reinartz@stpaul.gov
651.487.8294 (o)
651.248.9836 (c)

March - May Events At Como Park Zoo & Conservatory

Minnesota Parent Camp Fair
March 8
10am-2pm - FREE
What are your kids doing this summer? Whether you're looking for a week-long day camp or an all-season sleepaway experience, you'll find plenty of choices at Minnesota Parent's annual Camp Fair, including Camp Como. It's one-stop shopping for all your summer options: music, art, science, computer, sports camps and more.

Spring Flower Show
March 22 thru April 27
This year the Spring Show highlights the Hydrangea Arizona. When grown one way it will turn out red, when grown another way, it will turn out magenta! We will also feature the Hydrangea Oregon Pride, that turns out purple. Tulips, Hyacinth, Asiatic lilies, Calla, Bearded Iris, Allium, Crocus and Grape Hyacinth will be the featured flowers.

Spring Fling Weekend
March 29th & 30th  
As the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory opens its 2014 Spring Flower Show featuring thousands of bulbs, a special weekend celebrating spring will be held March 29 & 30 featuring special activities including games, Gardener Talks, story time and craft activities.

Spring & Summer Hours Begin!
April 1
Spring and Summer hours begin April 1st. The Zoo & Conservatory will be open 10am – 6pm everyday through September 30. No foolin’!

Wedding & Event Showcase Open House
April 6    
10am-2pm    FREE
Come see why we host over 400 weddings a year! Visit with photographers, musicians, officiates, decorators, and other vendors who will make your big day special. Tour our wedding, reception, and meeting spaces and discover what you can add to make your wedding or event spectacular. The wedding & event showcase is a FREE event.

Artist, Photographer, & Family Photo Hours
April 9
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
This is an opportunity for artists and photographers to bring in their easels and tripods after hours. It’s also a great opportunity to gather the family for a photo in one of our beautiful, lush gardens.  $5 per person.

Party for the Planet sponsored by Xcel Energy
April 26 & April 27
Hey party animals, it’s cool to conserve! Earth Day is April 22, but we’re stretching it out and celebrating the following weekend with our annual "Party for the Planet", in partnership with Xcel Energy. Bring the family for a fun weekend of activities, crafts and education programs that explore animals, plants and people that depend on this big blue ball. You'll leave with some great ideas for reducing your own impact on the planet, and improving our natural habitats.

Como Shuttle
Weekend service begins May 3, daily service begins May 31
Visitors can avoid parking hassles with our free shuttle service! Shuttle service begins weekends in May – September 28. Daily service runs May 31st through August 10. There will be NO shuttle service June 20-22. The shuttle bus allows passengers to board at the staffed off-site parking lot at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds, located on the south side of Como Avenue across from the State Fair’s Warner Coliseum and within minutes of the front doors of the Visitor Center. The shuttle runs continuously 9:30am – 6:30pm. The buses are wheelchair and stroller accessible.

Summer Flower Show
May 3 thru October 5
The Summer Flower Show displays the greatest plant diversity of any of the five Sunken Garden Flower Shows, as well as the longest season. We will feature some new plants for the 2014 Summer Show including the Cartwheel series of Gerbera Daisy, with very large, semi-double flowers; Buddleja Buzz magenta; the richly fragrant Origanium Kent Beauty with its hop like flowers; Cassia Popcorn with leaves that smell like popcorn and Kangaroo Paw Cape Red Lead. Fragrance for the show will be powered by our fantasic Oriental Lilies, Roses, Heliotrope and Buddleja. Show is complemented with some blue Agapanthus, various geraniums, caladium and Petunias.

Mother’s Day Bonsai Show
May 10 & 11
The Minnesota Bonsai Society Mother's Day Weekend Bonsai Show is a unique opportunity to see privately owned bonsai in the Conservatory’s new bonsai home, The Ordway Gardens. Bonsai are 'trees in pots' and are an ancient art form from Japan that blends artistic vision and horticultural expertise. Each bonsai represents nature in miniature and creates appreciation for the aesthetic of great age and rugged form as represented by the trees.

Artist, Photographer, & Family Photo Hours
May 18
8:00 am to 10:00 am
This is an opportunity for artists and photographers to bring in their easels and tripods before hours. It’s also a great opportunity to gather the family for a photo in one of our beautiful, lush gardens.  $5 per person.

Sparky The Sea Lion Show
May 24 through Labor Day
Join Sparky and her trainers as we read classic bedtime tales reinterpreted with an environmentally friendly twist.  Sparky will add her famous flare to tales such as:  Sparkylocks and the Three Seals, Sparky and the Frog Prince, Sparky and the Bean Stalk, Sparky and the Seven Recyclables, and The Princess and the Fish.  These treasured tales will educate guests about ocean life, rainforest adventures, frogs, and much more.