Star Wars at the LA Zoo!

So, last week I reported that they were holding a Star Wars day at the zoo.  Jason Jacobs, the PR Director at the zoo who may also be the D.C. superhero Jungle Jason, gave me a pass and took me behind the scenes at this fun event, so I figured I'd share my experiences here.

It was a blisteringly hot August day in the valley.  The sun was shining, and there was nary a cloud in the sky.   Parking was difficult, but persistance paid off and soon I was heading on into the Los Angeles Zoo.

Once inside, Jason took me to the staging area, where the various talented folks got ready to brave the heat to dazzle their fans.

R2-D2, beneath the dome.  This contraption would roll around, beeping and chirping and generally delighting children of all ages.

Two nice villainous costumes. I've always loved the imperial officer uniform especially.  Perhaps that's because it's such a simple costume.

A Tuscan Raider, or Sand Person.  Actually, that's considered a racially insensitive term these days.  Native Tatooininan I believe is the better term.  I got to ride around on a cart with this bad-boy on the way to the elephants, where zoo educators talked about the similarities between elephants and bantha.

Lovely flamingo shot here!

People, hundreds if not thousands, lined up for some photos.

Star Wars car!  Seems like it should have a vanity plate, though, no?

More animals!  Hey, we're at the zoo, gotta check out some animals as well as some sci-fi, right?

Owner of the aforementioned car, and administrator of the trivia contest.

It's a packed house to see the DVD Extra on creatures in Star Wars, and maybe win some prizes.

A happy winner of a Wookie voice changer.

So, there you have it!  Lots of crowds, lots of fun, many animals last Saturday.  If you had a chance to hop on down, drop a comment and let me know how it turned out.  (Thanks to Bill for his awesome photography skills.)