A tight economy and a steeply discounted admission drew huge crowds Sunday to the Lowry Park Zoo, which was charging $5 to get in for the day. ...more

May 18, 2009

Hundreds of people are expected to converge on Lowry Park today for the Haitian Heritage Festival, a free event that celebrates the culture and highlights the needs of people from the tiny Carribbean nation. ...more

May 16, 2009

In honor of Mother's Day, moms got free access to Lowry Park Zoo on Sunday as long as they were accompanied by a paying son or daughter, giving visiting mothers the chance to check out some of the new animal moms and their offspring. In the past year several babies have been born. The most notable are Annakiya, a rare pygmy hippopotamus; RanDee, a baby orangutan; Tamani, an African elephant; and two Angolan colobus monkeys, Polly and Kenzie. ...more

May 11, 2009

The Keystone Civic Association's Adopt-A-Road crew hit the street April 18 for the Great American Cleanup, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, and to celebrate Earth Day. About 19 volunteers scoured the group's adopted section of Gunn Highway - from Van Dyke Road to Tarpon Springs Road; Gunn Highway south to Miles Road; and Tarpon Springs Road from Gunn Highway to Blake Road; and a half-mile of Wayne Road west from Gunn Highway - a total of three miles. ...more

April 29, 2009

Water managers issued a fine of nearly $9,000 for unauthorized construction to the Polk County exotic-animal park owned by former Lowry Park Zoo President Lex Salisbury. ...more

April 29, 2009

Tampa Electric Co. and the University of South Florida will unveil plans today to build a solar array at Lowry Park Zoo. The system will generate 15 kilowatts of electricity and serve as an educational tool for students, officials said. ...more

April 20, 2009

City funding for nonprofit organizations will be cut next fiscal year. ...more

April 14, 2009

From Jazzmatazz in the Dance Studio and art demonstrations to the amazing return of "Elvis" in the Main Tent on Cherry Hills Drive, the activities and entertainment for the 10th annual FunFest drew thousands of visitors to Sun City Center. ...more

April 1, 2009

Lowry Park Zoo is back in good standing with the nation's premier accrediting agency for zoos and aquariums. ...more

March 28, 2009

Lowry Park Zoo, which lost its accreditation in December, isn't the only local attraction courting the organization that grants it -- the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Today, the nation's premier accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums renewed its endorsement of the Florida Aquarium. The aquarium's last review by the association was five years ago. ...more

March 27, 2009