Earth Day Celebration at Moody Gardens April 25-26

In conjunction with the much-anticipated reopening of the Rainforest Pyramid, Moody Gardens and the Oleander Society will host the annual Earth Day and Oleander Festival on April 25 and 26. The two-day festival will feature a wide variety of free activities, such as birding tours, eco-friendly gardening technique demonstrations, floral design competitions and live music, as well as Kids Kraft sessions and face-painters for the little ones.

“We received our most significant hurricane damage in the Rainforest Pyramid,” said John Zendt, general manager of Moody Gardens. “It was a very difficult time for us. But we are very pleased to extend this invitation to our guests to return to the Rainforest Pyramid and to celebrate Earth Day with such an important event.”

The free Earth Day celebration activities will feature live music by Lucas Miller, “The Singing Zoologist,” recycling and gardening demonstrations, puppet shows, plant and flower sales and conservation booths by local businesses and organizations, including Oleander Society, Audubon Society, Master Gardeners and Naturalists. Visitors can also check out the McGinnis collection of the Japanese Art of Bonsai. The Oleander Society plans to host Jubilee Luncheon at the Moody Gardens Hotel on Friday, April 24 to gear up for the festival weekend.

The Rainforest Pyramid will reopen as a botanical exhibit after suffering major flood damage caused by Hurricane Ike last fall. This highly unique attraction features an acre under glass with tropical plants from Africa, Asia and the Americas along with colorful macaws, turtles, an anaconda and freshwater fish. Guests will learn more about the practical use of rainforest plants in the everyday life, including the edible plant collection featuring plants such as chocolate, coconut, black pepper and coffee. The new Rainforest Adventure maze will take wanderers into four layers of the rainforest full of mysteries, while teaching biodiversity. As one of the most complete reproductions of the actual rainforest, the exhibit will stress the importance of conservation.

The Earth Day and Oleander Festival is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 25 and 26, and admission is free to the public. A special $15 combo pass to the Aquarium and Rainforest Pyramids will be available during the festival. For more information, please call Moody Gardens at 800-582-4673 or visit www.moodygardens.org and www.oleander.org.