Celebrate Puerto Rico With Fiesta Del Coquí At Central Florida Zoo

By Shonna Green

Sanford, FL - September 27 and 28 marks the third annual Fiesta del Coquí at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens sponsored by Rumba 100.3 and La Preciosa 740 AM. The festival caters to thousands of people in the Central Florida area celebrating their Hispanic heritage.

Performances including Hispanic American Youth Group of Deltona (HAY GOD), Tito Garcia, and La Sonora de Orlando will entertain guests on one of two stages scheduled for the event. Guests will also enjoy authentic food, various vendors, arts and crafts, animal encounters, and elephant demonstrations.

“The coquí frog is still the main attraction of the event and this year you’ll be able to see 3 species of the famous frog on exhibit as well as baby coquí” says Shonna Green, marketing director. “And, although the event began when the Zoo opened the first coquí exhibit in the US, the yearly event has turned into a really great party during Hispanic Heritage Month,” Green went on to say.

The event is honored to host a special symposium with world-known biologist, Dr. Rafael Joglar. Dr. Joglar is the author of many books, professor at University of Puerto Rico and founder of the “Proyecto Coqui”, an organization committed to “conserve the biodiversity and the places of ecological importance by means of scientific research, education and advising.” http://www.coqui.uprr.pr/esp/index.html  Dr. Joglar is coming to us to speak on the coquí and the importance it plays in the Puerto Rican ecosystem. He will be speaking Sunday, September 28 at 1:00 pm or 3:00 pm in the Wayne M. Densch Discovery Center.  There will also be a presentation on Saturday, September 27 (1:45 p.m.) by Jen Stabile, Zoo Reptile Keeper and students who are doing field research in Puerto Rico.
 

Fiesta del Coquí at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens
September 27 & 28, 2008
10:00 am – 6:00 pm