For Immediate Release
Contact: Mercede New (904) 757-4463 ext. 211
Gina Stiles (904) 757-4463 ext. 210

Enjoy Milk & Cookies With Santa
at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens!

December 12, 2008 – Jacksonville, FL –   The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ first Milk and Cookies with Santa event, sponsored by Winn-Dixie, will take place on December 20 and 21, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  There will be crafts, cookie decorating, holiday music and of course that jolly ole elf himself, Santa Claus!  There will be $2 off admission for guests who bring one or more non-perishable food items to be donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank.  Milk and Cookies with Santa is free with regular admission to the Zoo. 

“This event kicks off our winter holiday celebration,” said Gina Stiles, Marketing & Membership Manager for Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. “It will be followed by our annual Winter Break event on December 26th through January 4th, and on December 31st, Radio Disney’s Noon Years Eve will have clowns, magicians, free gift bags, hats and horns and is headlined by Shannon Miller, Olympic Gold Medalist. It will be a winter to remember at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.”

“The Milk and Cookies with Santa event puts a new spin on what the Christmas season is all about – brightening another’s life,” said Terry Lynn Grooms, manager of corporate donations for Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.  “We hope the result is that Santa will have a sleigh full of food to deliver to the food bank, helping address the area’s hunger this holiday.”

For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment. Starting in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has grown to house more than 1,500 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. The Jacksonville Zoo is a non-profit organization and is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  It is open year-round, seven days a week, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is located on Jacksonville’s north side at 370 Zoo Parkway, one-half mile east from I-95.  For more information on the Zoo, log on to www.jacksonvillezoo.org.

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