PSP fire marshal investigating Conneaut Lake Park fire

http://www.meadvilletribune.com/breakingnews/local_story_032103102.html

Brazilian theme park creator Beto Carrero dies

http://www.pr-inside.com/brazilian-theme-park-creator-beto-carrero-r417407.htm

SEE AMAZONIA NOW

ON WWW.MESKERPARKZOO.COM


Evansville, IN – Excitement is high as the June opening of AMAZONIA quickly approaches at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden. However, you don’t have to wait until June to see the inside of this spectacular South American rainforest. The Gerling Law AMAZONIA Cams, brought to you by On-Site and Insight, feature two breathtaking views of this exhibit. Watch as construction is completed, botanic species are planted, and new animals are placed in their realistic habitats. Visit www.meskerparkzoo.com and click on the Gerling Law AMAZONIA Cam logo to see the web cams in their new permanent location inside AMAZONIA. Web cams are also viewable by visiting the websites of our media partners: www.14wfie.com, www.news25.us, and www.tristatehomepage.com.

Evansville’s Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden is open 365 days a year from 9 am – 5 pm (entry gate closes at 4 pm). Reduced winter admission rates are $5 for adults and $4 for children (ages 3-12). Vanderburgh County residents receive $1 discount. Children under 3 are free. Memberships are also available which include a yearlong pass, free tram rides, Zoo newsletter subscription plus other benefits. Please visit www.meskerparkzoo.com for more information.

Kings Island Entertainer Auditions February 16-17

Calling All Performers! - Park looking for singers, dancers, musicians, characters and more for 2008 season

KINGS ISLAND, Ohio – Kings Island will host auditions in search of experienced contemporary country singers and trained, talented and versatile dancers, characters, character cohorts, musicians, technicians and costumers for the 2008 entertainment season at the park. The auditions will be held at Kings Island in the International Restaurant Saturday, February 16 and Sunday, February 17.

Auditions and interviews for singers, technicians, characters, costumers and musicians are from 10:00am to 2:00pm each day. Applicants will be seen on a first come, first served basis. Dancer registration is from 1:00pm to 2:00pm. A dance combination will be taught at 2:00pm.

Interested performers should prepare the following:

Singers: Bring sheet music or CD accompaniment for two contemporary country songs. One should be up-tempo, the second a ballad. A piano accompanist will be provided for those with sheet music. Singers may be asked to read a brief monologue and to dance, so they should bring appropriate clothes and shoes for movement. Singers need to bring a current photo and a one-page resume.

Dancers: Kings Island is looking for energetic, technically trained dancers experienced in jazz, ballet, hip-hop and acrobatics. Dancers will be taught a combination during the audition and should come prepared in comfortable and appropriate clothing and shoes. Dancers need to bring a current photo and a one-page resume.

Musicians: Kings Island is specifically looking for horn and reed instruments. You must be able to play a variety of styles.

Technicians and Costumers: Interviews will be conducted for experienced sound operators, lighting operators, follow spot operators, sage crew and costumer positions. Interviews will be held on audition dates on a first come, first serve basis. Please bring a one-page resume. Those interested in design work should bring an example of their recent or past work.

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Kings Island Entertainer Auditions for 2008 Season/Page 2

Nickelodeon Meet and Greet Characters: Kings Island is looking for enthusiastic individuals to portray Nickelodeon characters. Those who audition must be 4’10” to 5’6” for Nickelodeon characters. Please bring a current photo and a one-page resume. An interview and movement audition will be conducted.

Character Cohort: Kings Island is looking for enthusiastic individuals to provide assistance to characters during their walks. Please bring a current photo and a one-page resume.

Please note: Those who audition must be at least 15 years of age to audition and/or interview. The audition procedure may take a long time. Please be prepared to wait. Kings Island strongly encourages participation from all cultural backgrounds.

For more information call Kings Island’s Entertainment Department at (513) 754-5740 or visit www.visitkingsisland.com.

Kings Island is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Kings Island, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, six water parks, one indoor water park resort and five hotels. Cedar Fair also owns and operates Star Trek: The Experience, an interactive adventure located in Las Vegas, and operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif. under a management contract.

PHOENIX ZOO DEBUTS MOUNTAIN LION CUBS

The Phoenix Zoo is pleased to announce the addition of two five month-old female mountain lion cubs to their animal family. The cubs were brought to the Zoo by South Dakota Wildlife Division of Game, Fish and Parks after the cubs were found orphaned in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The cubs were kept in mandatory quarantine after arriving at the Zoo and have spent the past week becoming accustomed to their new home. The cubs are now on exhibit, though they are not used to seeing people and will take some time getting comfortable with their new surroundings.

The Phoenix Zoo asked for the public’s help to choose names for these cubs. In celebration of Super Bowl XLII in Arizona, the Zoo has partnered with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee to provide name suggestions. For about a week, the public has been voting at azsuperbowl.com and the winning names are Eli and Brady.

Mountain lions, also known as pumas, cougars and panthers are found in Arizona. They have one of the largest ranges of any wild cat and can be found all over the western United States. Mountain lions are very secretive animals that tend to avoid human contact. Encounters are rare and usually not threatening. In the last 100 years, only 14 fatal cougar attacks occurred on the entire North American continent. They generally avoid one another as well with the exception brief mating times and mothers and their kittens. In the wild, kittens will usually stay with the mother for up to two years, and are completely dependent on her for food.

Mountain lions can live up to 25 years in captivity and the Phoenix Zoo’s last female mountain lion was 17 years-old when she died in 2007. Adult females can grow up to seven feet-long and will weigh 65-90 pounds.

The Zoo’s two new female mountain lions are on exhibit on the Zoo’s Arizona Trail. The Phoenix Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is located at 455 N. Galvin Parkway in Papago Park. For more information about the Zoo go to www.phoenixzoo.org

Making the Zoo a Greener Place Cleveland Metroparks Zoo announces 2008 “Green Resolutions”

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is committing itself to becoming more environmentally friendly than ever before. In announcing the Zoo’s 2008 “Green Resolutions” today, Zoo Director Steve Taylor said he is calling on his entire staff to do even more to recycle, save energy and protect the environment.
“First and foremost, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is a conservation agency, so we should be setting an example and doing whatever we can to help the environment,” Taylor said. “In the past few years, we’ve more than tripled the amount of recycling we do at the Zoo, but there’s still more we can do.”
The Zoo’s Top 8 Green Resolutions of 2008 are to:
§ Institute guidelines to reduce vehicle traffic inside the Zoo. § Purchase a solar-powered golf cart for maintenance staff. § Design the forthcoming African Elephant Crossing exhibit to “LEED” standards (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.)
§ Train all employees in proper recycling procedures. § Increase composting capacity, making even more “ZooPoo” compost available to the public for their gardens and yards.
§ Continue removing invasive species of plants from the Zoo. § Conduct Big Creek Clean-up. § Conduct “Cans 4 Conservation” recycling drives to support conservation initiatives.
In addition, Zoo employees will continue their efforts to cut down on the amount of paper used, look for more ways to conserve water and increase recycling. The Zoo’s on-site recycling program has netted more than 6 tons of aluminum cans, hundreds of cell phones, thousands of fluorescent bulbs and more than 150 tons of paper since the program was enhanced in 2005.
Northeast Ohio’s most popular year-round attraction, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Winter admission is $7 per person, $5 for kids ages 2 to 11 and free for children under 2 and Zoo members. Parking is free. Located at 3900 Wildlife Way, the Zoo is easily accessible from Interstates 71, 77, 90 and 480.
To learn more, visit clemetzoo.com or call (216) 661-6500.