Registration is now open for the second conservation-based program in Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium’s Nancy Armitage Wildlife Lecture Series. The Banana Slug String Band will perform on Saturday, November 3 at 11 a.m. (doors open at 10 a.m.) in the Zoo’s Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Pavilion Auditorium.
The Banana Slug String Band is a group of musicians, songwriters and educators who blend music, theater, puppetry and audience participation to create a lively learning environment. This Northern California-based troupe uses music to connect kids to messages about recycling, ocean health and other conservation issues. For more than 30 years the Banana Slug String Band has been using guitars, voices and crazy characters to create an engaging learning environment for kids. The program will feature all-original musical stylings of the Banana Slug String Band including Folk, Blues, reggae and rock-and-roll. The group has played in 40 states and five different countries for nearly two million people.
This is the first year that Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has hosted the Nancy Armitage Wildlife Lecture Series, a series of three lectures created to honor the memory of Nancy Armitage. The free lecture series features various speakers focusing on informative topics facing wildlife today.
“Throughout her life, Nancy had such a strong passion for wildlife and conservation, as well as a zest for life experiences,” said Dr. Jim Armitage. “When she got really ill, we talked about setting up a memorial lecture series in her name as a way to memorialize those qualities and inspire people of all ages to take action. She believed that we each have the ability to protect our natural resources and wanted this series to help inspire people to do their parts.”
A committee was created to carry out Armitages’ wishes and select speakers who would be engaging for all ages. This year’s Nancy Armitage Wildlife Lecture Series lineup includes world-renowned photographer Joel Sartore who spoke in October, the family-friendly Banana Slug String Band and Dr. Cristian Samper, an international steward of conservation on Thursday, December 6.
Tickets for each event in the Nancy Armitage Lecture Series are free, but limited. Registration for each subsequent event will be available the day after the previous event in the series. Stay tuned to OmahaZooFoundation.org for information on future speakers and dates.
