Wolf Fest 2010

The day  began at 6am for most endangered wolf center staff. I was the first to arrive and found that during the overnight storms, a tree had fallen and was completely blocking the road.  Further down the road I feared the worst as I drove to our offices.  I had expected our large tents to be strewn all over the fields and most of our other items in tatters! Much to my happiness, only one small tent fell victim to the storm.  

When guests started arriving at 9am, the volunteers and staff were still trying to perform final set- up.  We had been delayed from the constant flow of rain coming down, but with the strength of 30 wolves, we managed to complete set up by the time the first guest was coming down the road.

As visitors started to arrive, it became apparent that no amount of rain would stop our guests from seeing the wolves!  Luckily, most bought a sweatshirt or long-sleeve T-shirt from our wonderful gift shop before taking the short jaunt to the enclosures.   EWC Docents were on hand at every observation area to answer any questions that our guests may have had about the animal they were seeing or perhaps to tell an interesting fact or story about a particular animal.  Further down the road at our main observation area, visitors were able to sign up and become a member to further their support of the Center.  Those generous folks that signed up won a chance at a private behind-the-scenes opportunity to throw bones to the wolves.  They were also given a chance to "spin the wheel" in which they had the chance to upgrade their membership or win a awesome prize!

Also located near the main platform was the Keeper Clubhouse in which our very own animal care staff was on hand to answer questions about what they do and also to show our guests how they take of the animals and what we feed them.
Once our visitors returned to the main event area near our offices, they were treated to delicious treats at our food tent. Hot dogs, bratwurst, popcorn, happy apples and much more were offered to our hungry guests.  We even had a special chili prepared to dress your hot dog!