Singing night owls at the EcoTarium
WORCESTER - Owls aren't generally known for their singing, but tonight any musically inclined night owls are invited to the EcoTarium after hours to hoot out classic karaoke tunes from Whitney Houston to Britney Spears.
"Singing in the Rain," the first of the EcoTarium's Night Owl after-hours events for adults, will be held on the second floor of the main building from 6 to 9 p.m. with food and cash bar.
"We wanted to do something both fun and spring related," said event coordinator Kait Williams, so a co-worker suggested karaoke, with the title reflecting the season's frequent precipitation and the classic 1952 film of the same name. “It's really great to watch people go up and sing. Whether they’re good or not it’s always fun."
The karaoke will take place in the Secrets of the Forest exhibit space, and doubling down the evening's musical theme, the Clark University a cappella group, the Clark Bars, will be performing in the planetarium.
The idea for adult nights at the EcoTarium actually goes back to 2020, but there was only one of the events held before COVID. Now time has finally been found in the museum's packed schedule to bring back the popular events, with dates scheduled for July 14, Aug. 25 and Sept. 8.
While the summer events will be held three months in row, Williams cautioned that future Night Owl events may not necessarily be monthly and will depend on balancing with other events and staffing. July and August will have an outdoor summer theme (weather permitting), with barbecue, games and food trucks, "though none of those logistics are locked in yet," said Williams.
September will be an animal paint night, where visitors will be able to paint alongside one of the EcoTarium's animal ambassadors. Which animal artist will lend their talents is still an open question, as many are reaching their senior years and a well-earned retirement from public life.
Zookeepers are currently preparing the "next generation of animal ambassadors," said Williams, such as a new opossum, Beaker, who is a candidate for leading the paint night.
“We're hoping he’s at a point where he can do that," she said. "We want these to be really unique experiences not the same old thing you can do anywhere."
Tickets are available for purchase online and are $15 per person and $10 per member.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Adult nights at EcoTarium
