How Halloween Should Be Done

Every Halloween, it has been the tradition of our family to pack up the children in the car and haul them to the zoo. Cleveland has very few landmarks to be proud of, but our zoo is actually not too shabby. In fact, it’s held in pretty high esteem among the zoo community. There is a such thing as a zoo community, right?



Boo At The Zoo is an annual function the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo holds every year for children. In years past, there’s been a charity ball immediately following for big spenders in the area who contribute tons of money to the zoo. It’s awkward to see people in limos and formal attire pull up beside The Incredible Hulk and Dora, but the parents are the only ones who notice these aren’t just more people in Halloween costumes. What do the kids care? Are they throwing candy out of them long, fancy cars? No? Their costume SUCKS, Mom!



Last year was our first year in our new neighborhood and new house. The costs relating to a move are never truly appreciated until everyone is settled and boxes are unpacked. Then the adding begins and you realize you were probably better off moving into a shanty town because welcome to the life of never-ending poverty. Enjoy your new home! Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I was none too pleased to be spooking it on a budget. Neither was Mooter who’s tricks and treats consisted of a brisk walk around the neighborhood in her costume and plastic pumpkin bucket. I vowed I’d do better this year. I prayed to do better this year.

Welcome to better.



There’s nothing extraordinary about Boo At The Zoo. Things don’t change from year to year. But the kids have a great time. There’s your typical kid-friendly “scary” ambiance:






(I swear this guy is there every year. Same place, too. He’s like the Wal-Mart greeter of the event… but he doesn’t talk. He makes me want to bust a move.)

There’s the ameenuls:






(Although you’d think animals would look scarier against a night sky, they were actually pretty human in the fact that they JUST WANTED SOME SLEEP! WOULD YOU PEOPLE GO HOME?! The camels? Bears? Sea Lions? All of ‘em with the WTF-face. Pretty depressing stuff.)

There were dinosaurs:



This is actually a new exhibit opened this past summer. During the regular season, you’d have to pay extra just to walk through it (a fact Mooter would discover on a summer camp field trip). In a way, you felt like you were cheating since the exhibit was opened to the public for free, especially for Halloween. But then you walked through it…



And, I don’t know…



I’m just not seeing the “extra money” rationale.



Then again, this isn’t for me, now is it?



If you’re ever in the Cleveland area for Halloween and have a brood you’d love to occupy for a few hours, I encourage you to wander over to our zoo, won’t you?



Heck, even the local law enforcement have a good time.



I think… I think they might have, um… shrunk the police a little. For the ambiance.