Detroit Zoo marks 95 years with month-long celebration in August
Birthday greetings are in order for the Detroit Zoo, which starting Tuesday, is marking 95 years with an entire month of festivities.
Its 95th anniversary celebration will include special events, discounts, themed merchandise and more, officials said. On Tuesday, the zoo will open its gates at 8 a.m., an hour early, and officials early said the first 95 non-member guests will receive free admission.
The first 995 people who enter the zoo will enjoy a free, one-way train ride on the Tauber Family Railroad.
"The Detroit Zoo opened to the public for the first time on Aug. 1, 1928," Hayley Murphy, executive director and CEO of the Detroit Zoological Society, said in a statement. "Since then, it has built an incredible legacy of excellence in animal well-being, conservation, education and sustainability.
"We have a lot to celebrate during this milestone anniversary, and this is one party you will not want to miss," she said. "We cannot wait to celebrate the past 95 years, and we look forward to a bright future here at the Detroit Zoo."
On Sunday, the zoo will host a family-friendly 8 p.m. concert with country music singer Hannah Ellis. Advanced ticket purchases are required and cost $19.95.
Here's a look back at the zoo's 95-year history and some of its interesting twists and turns:
Location, location, location
The decision to put the zoo where it is now in Royal Oak took forever. The Detroit Zoological Society was organized in 1911, but the zoo didn’t open until 1928. In between, the zoological society and the city argued over where to put the zoo, and the society bought two other tracts of land for a possible zoo development before acquiring George Hendrie’s former estate at 10 Mile and Woodward.
There was also a ballot question in 1922 that proposed putting the zoo in what is now Rouge Park that voters rejected (the 10 Mile and Woodward plot had already been purchased at that point, but some people wanted it to be in Wayne County, where most of the taxpayers were).
Bear close call
On the day the park opened, John C. Nagel, the acting mayor of Detroit, arrived late and parked his car by the bear dens.
As he was walking to the reception, a polar bear jumped the moat and approached Nagel, who is said to have held his hand out and said, “He’s the welcome committee."
Zookeepers corralled the bear back into its habitat and Nagel was unharmed.
A Detroit News tie to zoo's train
The zoo's 2.5-mile miniature railroad was created with a $20,000 donation from William E. Scripps, son of James E. Scripps and president of The Detroit News.
The train was created because people complained that it was hard to walk around the entire zoo. The train first left the station in 1931.
A group of Huntington Woods residents filed a suit in June 1931 to stop operations of the train which they said was noisy and decreased their property value. To address the issue, zoo officials resanded the tracks; regrinded the wheels; and redesigned the track so it would only run along the south side of the park, in a loop.
The News train was retired in 1948 due to the equipment becoming obsolete for the time.
Birthday festivities
Throughout the month of August, the zoo is offering a variety of perks. They include:
∎ Membership discounts — All new and renewing members can get $10 off the membership level of their choice,
∎ One-of-a-kind merchandise — Guests can pick up a unique water tower and other 95th anniversary-themed merchandise at the Detroit Zoo’s Zoofari Market,
∎ Food and beverage specials — The zoo is offering 95-cent specials, including $1.95 for regular sodas, 95-cent refills on souvenir cups, and buy one bear track and get a second for 95 cents at select locations. Bear tracks are fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
∎ An exclusive beer — The Detroit Zoological Society and Griffin Claw Brewing Company have teamed up to create the Celebrating 95 Years IPA, which will be available at Zoo food and beverage locations.