"Taking the camel to the drive-in?" Historian David Leighton's history of the Reid Park Zoo

AZPM | By Mark McLemore

Published July 8, 2024 at 1:13 PM MST

1975 Zoo Staff, Barry Ames, Joanna Gradillas, Marc Bruns, Angela Stewart, Alex Flores, Mike Flint, Ms. Boyle, Ann Dery, Sandra Hein, Gale Ferrick, Al Gallego, Shanda Martin, Kathy Kuehn, Garland Godbehere.

Prairie Dog Town 1966 Reid Park Zoo — A sign pointing to Tucson's Prairie Dog Town in 1966, it was the first exhibit of the future zoo.

"Taking the camel to the drive-in?" Historian David Leighton's history of the Reid Park Zoo

Featured on the July 11, 2024 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:

This month, the Journal of Arizona History will publish a story and photo essay about the early history of the Reid Park Zoo, from 1965 to 1978. It is the result of more than 3 years of research by Arizona Daily Star “Street Smarts” columnist David Leighton, who will share some of the surprising history he has learned along the way.

Baby Ostritches and Zookeepers 1977 Reid Park Zoo — Zookeepers Marc Bruns and Shanda Johnston in 1977, handling four baby ostriches named Sam, Pipin, Bilbo and Frog.

Rhinos 1986 Reid Park Zoo — Rhinos Zibulo and Yebonga wallow in the mud at the zoo in 1986.

Baby Bear 1975 — In 1975 Margolis, a baby sunbear waits for his mother to return to their enclosure.

Lioness 1968 Reid Park Zoo — A lioness cleans her paw at the Randolph Park Zoo in 1968.

AZPM’s Sophia Hammer visits the Word of Mouth Print Space, a volunteer-led community-accessible printmaking studio. Workshops and studio resources are made available on a sliding scale to artists of all skill levels.

Word of Mouth Printing Machines — Equipment and studio space are made available on a sliding scale to artists of any skill level.

Word of Mouth up close sketch — Word of Mouth Print Space offers a unique opportunity for art aficionados to create and hone their skills. here is an up close look at one of the visitor's designs.

Word of Mouth Coco Chanel shirt — T-Shirts are among the many items you can create at Tucson's Word of Mouth Print Space

Looking for a way to escape the summer heat using imagination? On July 20th, The Pima County Public Library hosts MegaMania, the free, all-ages summer festival of fantasy, science fiction, cosplay, gaming and crafts. Mark talks with two of the organizers about what to expect from this year’s line-up of guests, games & performances.

MegaMania 2024 — The Pima County Public Library will be hosting their annual MegaMania event Saturday July 20th from 12-5 p.m. at Pima Community College's Downton Campus

Paige and John — Paige Carlson and John Muñoz visit the AZPM studio to talk about the Pima County Public Library's MegaMania event.

And, Tony Paniagua will introduce you to a dual-national, cooperative effort that is improving thousands of lives in the small border community of Naco in Sonora, Mexico. Meet Tom Carlson, the 91-year-old co-founder and president of the Naco Wellness Initiative.

Naco Wellness Norma Bernabe spot — Norma Bernabé is one of the women that does much of the daily work at the Naco Wellness Initiative's farm and gardens in Naco, Sonora, Mexico.

Naco Wellness 1 spot — Tom Carlson and Lupita Sánchez met several years ago in Naco, Sonora, Mexico and have become close coworkers and friends.

Naco Wellness 2 spot — The Naco Wellness Initiative farm and gardens in Naco, Sonora has watering and fertilizing systems to help the plants flourish.

Naco Wellness 3 spot — Rows of healthy squash plants and other vegetables are flourishing at the Naco Wellness Initiative farm and gardens, where you can also see the greenhouse behind them.

Naco Wellness 4 spotlight — Workers, volunteers, and students at the Naco Wellness Initiative harvest festival on Saturday
3 June 2023 display a variety of vegetables that were grown at the farm and gardens.

Naco wellness 5 spot — Hundreds of people showed up at the Naco Wellness Initiative's harvest festival on Saturday 3 June 2023. The mix included residents from both sides of the border.

Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Friday at 8:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.

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"Taking the camel to the drive-in?" Historian David Leighton's history of the Reid Park Zoo

Web page by Alecia Vasquez.