Exit133

November 27, 2013 · Exit133

Goat football game, 12th Man ice blocks for polar bears and other activities

TACOMA SEAGOATS PLAY NEW ORLEANS KUNCKLEHEADS IN GOAT BOWL AT POINT DEFIANCE ZOO & AQUARIUM'S BLUE FRIDAY SEAHAWKS CELEBRATION

And, yes, the goats in the game are real, plus polar bears will get 12th Man ice blocks; red wolves can tear into New Orleans Saints logos; other animals will get Seahawks-themed enrichments, and the 12th Man Seahawks tree will be lighted at a Zoolights opening ceremony.

TACOMA, Wash. - Forget Black Friday, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is celebrating Blue Friday tomorrow with $3 general admission discounts to visitors in Seahawks gear, goats playing football (in Seahawks and Saints "jerseys,")  12th Man treats for animals and the lighting of a Seahawks 12th Man tree as part of the Zoolights grand  opening.

Blue Friday celebrates the 10-1 Seattle Seahawks as they ready for a HUGE Monday Night Football Game at CenturyLink Field.

The Goat Bowl kicks off at 11 a.m. in the Kids' Zone area of the zoo and pits small Nigerian goats as the Tacoma SEAgoats (or Seahawks), and elder Nigerian goats as the New Orleans Knuckleheads (or Saints). Kinder goats, complete with whistles and striped shirts, are the referees. There will be an announcer and cheerleaders, too.

Other Blue Friday activities include:

  • $3 off daytime general admission for visitors in Seahawks gear
  • Polar Bears getting 12th Man iceblock enrichments and other Seahawks-themed treats during the 11:30 a.m. keeper talk
  • Meerkats playing with Seahawk Blue and Green Jello
  • Herald the Wonder Dog, wearing his Seahawks jersey, making appearances during walkabouts around the zoo and as a special centerpiece of the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater Close Encounter at 1:30 p.m.. There may also be an appearance of a real hawk t o help cheer the Hawks on.
  • Red wolves getting cardboard boxes adorned with Saints logos as an enrichment at the 2 p.m. Red Wolf Keeper Talk. (We expect the Saints to be pummeled).
  • Primates and tigers in the Asian Forest Sanctuary getting their area dressed up with an array of Seahawks and Saints pumpkins and some animals receiving Seahawks-themed special treats and toys.
  • A 12th Fan Snowman watching over Stingray Cove
  • Zoo employees dressed in Seahawks jerseys or Seahawks colored Mardi Gras beads
  • And later in the evening (separate ticket required), the Grand Opening of Zoolights. One of the displays this year is a 12th Man Seahawks tree in glorious strands of blue and green LED lights. Marshall Shaffer, the 2-year-old boy who became an internet sensation in the viral video of him, dressed in a tiger costume, playing with real tiger cub Kali, will flip the switch to set the night glowing with more than half a million dazzling Zoolights.

All of the daytime activities are free with admission to the zoo. Regular zoo hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Zoolights, a holiday celebration featuring more than 550,000 dazzling lights, many of them in the shapes of favorite zoo animals, opens at 5 p.m. The 25-year-old Puget Sound tradition runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 5 (except for a one-night closure on Dec. 24.)

For more information, go to www.pdza.org.