Poker tourney planned for Zoo
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

Photo courtesy of Dean Argentine These four fifth graders dedicated their last day of summer vacation to raising money to save The Zoo. They set up a stand at the Grand Point playground and offered ice cold lemonade for a donation and raised $102.38. Pictured from left: Hank Newell, Zack Argentine, Josh Argentine and Zane Gill.

If you see an unusual amount of pizza being carted into The Zoo - Northwest Florida, don't be alarmed. It's not for the lions, tigers or bears.

Papa John's Pizza will be donating the pie to zoo staff every Friday for the next couple of months. The free meals are just a small part of an ongoing effort to save the embattled zoological park located in Southern Santa Rosa County. Zoo officials say they are receiving a tremendous amount of support from the community and hope to be able to meet their fundraising goal of $1 million by the end of 2007.

"Yes, it still sounds like a really large number, but there's a lot going on and it really shows the community wants this zoo," said zoo spokesperson Natalie Akin. "We're still receiving phone calls everyday."

Akin said the community has raised approximately $20,000 through what she called "grassroots" fundraising efforts. Akin said those activities included a rummage sale at the flea market across the street from the zoo, which raised $4,400. There are also websites set up in support of the zoo, including: www.dosomething.org/node/329 02 and www.myspace.com/savethezoo.

Lemonade stands and rummage sales aren't the only activities planned to help raise money for the park. Business partners Keith Sims and Tracy McCraw, who operate a company called Charitable Events Management, are planning a Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament to benefit the zoo Oct. 26. Sims said the tournament will be held at MySpayce in downtown Pensacola and will feature professional gambler Brandon Adams.

Now that there is support from the local community, corporations are beginning to show their support as well.

Zaxby's, a fast food eatery with locations in Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, will host "Zoo Nights" every Sunday Night in September. John Whiteaker with Zaxby's said Zoo Nights will last from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and include the restaurants in Gulf Breeze and Pensacola. The fast food chain plans to donate 10 percent of its sales during Zoo Nights to the park.

"The zoo's been great for us and for Northwest Florida," Whiteaker said. "We don't want to see it go."

Todd Milleson, operations director for Papa John's Pizza, said his company recently signed up as a corporate sponsor, donating $550 annually to the nonprofit group in charge of the zoo.

"It opens the door for us to work with them," Milleson said.

Milleson also said his company is working to sell pizza on location at the zoo, donating 20 percent of the day's sales back to the park.

Zoo officials announced earlier this year that they would need $1 million by the end of the year and a total of $3 million in order to erase the debt accumulated by the park due to hurricane damages and the loss of admission revenues in 2004 and 2005. For more information on any of the activities mentioned above, or to donate to the nonprofit zoo, call 850-932-2229 or visit www.thezoonorthwestflorida. org.