CALM’s ‘Spring Fling’ successful

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Many families took advantage of the good weather and free children’s admission for a ride on the Central California Children’s Railroad during CALM’s Spring Fling.

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It appeared Peggy the Pony and David Gerstung became great friends during CALM’s Spring Fling.

Sunny, comfortable weather, only briefly interrupted by one day of wind and dust, helped make the California Living Museum’s (CALM) second annual Spring Fling from April 3-11, a huge success. Having the kids home from school during that vacation week and looking for an affordable, entertaining place to go, many parents found the allure of free admission for their children at CALM irresistible. It was the second year CALM had experimented with the free admission idea and preliminary reports indicate that the crowds easily topped the 3,561 that came through the gates a year ago.

"Yes, adults still had to pay to get in, but, you know, they didn’t seem to mind," Zoo Manager Lana Fain said. "They were actually thanking us because admitting the kids for free was helping them handle the economy, especially at this time of year."

And the parents were also talking about the extras CALM put in for this year’s Spring Fling, such as the three times-a-day "Animal Keeper Chats" that usually only take place on the weekends. Another big crowd favorite was the running of the Central California Children’s Railroad, which normally does not run during the week.

"Totally thrilled" by everything CALM was doing to make the week fun for the family was Kim Wiggins. She brought five children, her own and some cousins. But, the free admission was not what drew her to CALM, Wiggins has a CALM membership, so she and the children get in free anyway.

"I had all the kids over for a sleepover last night and the weather today was just so gorgeous, we just had to come out to CALM," Wiggins said. "We don’t usually get the benefit of having the train running during the week. So, that was cool."

Wiggins and her family dropped by the Children’s Park to pet new resident Peggy the Pony. Later, Wiggin’s nephew David Gerstung made quite an impression on the roadrunner. It kept running up and down in his enclosure in front of Gerstung, stopping frequently to stare for long periods of time. Even the desert tortoise, occupying the same enclosure, seemed to have taken his vitamins, as he, too, moved with more of a bounce in his laborious steps. Often, he would come back to gaze upon Gerstung and his relatives for long periods of time.

Meanwhile, Gerstung’s sister Tatum was taking in the springtime beauty of the grounds. "I saw rocks painted like eggs and ladybugs, and, then I saw bunches of ladybugs along the paths where we were walking," Tatum said.

Children certainly had plenty to do. Inside there was a "Craft’s Corner" where they made items to take home and learned about animals as they worked. Outside, 40 students from the Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Migrant Education Program spent four days in the Zoo Arts Camp learning about animals, art, music, story telling and vocabulary.

Once entertained, many children persuaded parents to go inside the CALM Gift Shop, where many purchased all kinds of unique items to remind them of their fun and free day at the 25 year-old zoo, botanic garden and natural history museum in northeast Bakersfield.

More fun is planned for the public on May 16, when CALM celebrates its birthday and 26 years of providing residence to native animals that because of injury or abandonment can no longer survive on their own in the wild.


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