Elmwood Park Zoo celebrates Chinese New Year on Saturday

NORRISTOWN » If you visited your favorite Chinese take-out restaurant in the past month or so, along with your order you may have been given a brightly colored calendar letting you know that 2018 is the Year of the Dog.

Although man’s best friend won’t be on hand at Elmwood Park Zoo’s Chinese New Year Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 17, noon to 1 p.m. in the Canopy Gardens, the annual event will feature other animals of the zodiac, noted the zoo’s marketing associate Ali Chiavetta.

“We will have a rooster, snake and giant Flemish rabbit from our educational department and have greetings with these other animals of the zodiac,” Chiavetta explained. “There will also be crafts and kids will have the opportunity to try on these amazing Chines dragon masks.”

At 12:30 an educational session will delve into the animals’ backgrounds, she added. “They’ll bring out the animals for the kids to see. Kids won’t be

able to touch the actual animals but sometimes there are artifacts that they can touch. There will be a synopsis about the animal itself, how long it’s been at the zoo, how old it is, what they do in the wild, what they eat. The education programs here at the zoo are pretty amazing.”

According to Chinese culture, individuals born in the Year of the Dog are often considered to be loyal, honest, reliable and patient.

With a 12-year-cycle before an animal is spotlighted on the calendar again, previous dog years have included 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2006.

The Chinese New Year Celebration at Elmwood Park Zoo, 1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown, is included with zoo admission.