FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lindsay Wildlife Museum Presents 50^th Anniversary Festival in Larkey Park

The Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc. Supports Anniversary Event Celebrating

Half of Century of Connecting People with Wildlife

WALNUT CREEK, CA. — Sept. 26, 2005 – In celebration of the Lindsay Wildlife Museum’s more than 50 years of service in the East Bay, the museum will hold its Anniversary Festival on Saturday, October 8, 2005 in Larkey Park, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event, which celebrates five decades of connecting people with wildlife, is the museum’s way of thanking the many individuals and organizations they have worked with during the past fifty years. Lending volunteer support to this event through their East Bay Impact team, the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc. (JLOEB) is proud to partner with the Lindsay Wildlife Museum.  League volunteers will provide staffing and support for set-up, greeting, and information booths as well as assisting with the mainstage events. Admission to the festival, and to the museum, will be free on October 8. 

The main entertainment stage will feature live music by top local bands including: the Rhythm Doctors, an Oakland-based blues band; the Stacy Adams Band playing blues and soul, and Native Elements, featuring terrific reggae. Also featured on the main stage will be a jump rope exhibition, a play about birds of prey and storytelling. A children’s area will feature faced painting, bubble wands and other activities.

About 40 local organizations involved with animals or the environment will also be at the festival to provide an activity, game or “take away” project that supports the museum’s mission.

Special Exhibits: Prehistoric Beasts will be found throughout the museum’s upper and lower-level exhibit halls. Also on display is a unique exhibit showing the history of Lindsay Wildlife Museum and the impact the museum has had on the Contra Costa community. Oral histories with founding museum members and volunteers, photographs of wildlife ambassadors through the years, enhancements in wildlife rehabilitation and an overview of educational programs are included.

Women Building Better Communities – The Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc. (www.jloeb.org) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The JLOEB offers women the opportunity to implement change in the community in three major ways: projects, grants, and outreach. The common thread in the JLOEB community work is the League’s dedicated mission focusing on Children at Risk.

About the Lindsay Wildlife Museum

Founded in 1955, Lindsay Wildlife Museum (www.wildlife-museum.org) connects people with wildlife to inspire responsibility and respect for the world we share. The museum houses a collection of live, native California animals, a hands-on discovery room for children, a pet education section with domestic animals, changing exhibits and a one of the largest wildlife rehabilitation hospitals in the United States that treats about 6,000 animals every year. The Lindsay Wildlife Museum currently serves more than 100,000 visitors each year, including 40,000 school children.

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Media Contacts:

Sherrill Cook, Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Director, External Affairs, 925-627-2926

Dana Young, JLOEB, Community Relations, danayoung@yahoo.com (510)601-7998

Katie Ryan, JLOEB, Community Relations, kjtryan@hotmail.com (925) 837-3463