The Clay Center Kansas Zoo

01/13/2025

Due to the amount of ice on the roadway through the park and on the sidewalks within the zoo, the conditions are still too unsafe for us to open to the public. We apologize for any inconvenience this creates. As soon as it is safe enough for us to open we will let everyone know. Thank you!

12/19/2024

The Zoo's new Welcome Center is now officially open! Visitors to the zoo will now enter and exit through the Welcome Center. Hours of operation remain the same: 9am to 5pm Mon-Sat & 10am to 5pm on Sunday.

12/18/2024

The 2024 "Lights Before Christmas" was another fantastic year! The support we get from the community and everyone that supports the Zoo constantly amazes us! We have already begun talking about ideas for next year! We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone that donated their time and resources this year! We will continue making improvements to the Zoo and raising the funds for our splash pad as we roll into 2025!

We greatly appreciate the numerous individuals, groups, and families that helped make this year's event possible:

Zoo Fundraising Committee:
-Scott and Lyn Patterson
-Ginger and Josie Walker
-Judy and Kevin Dunn
-Scott and Amy Glaves
-Chris and Libby Mellies
-Garett and Natalie Payne
-Deb Luthi

Holiday Fun Stations provided by:
-Mark and Theresa Charbonneau
-Steve and Terri Melby
-Natalie Payne and daughter Ava Sergi
-Bob and Barb Beaver, along with Deb Luthi
-Cursti Sorell and Caleb Bartel

DJ Services provided by:
-Rodney and Sylvia Hunter and their family. They provided the sound system and holiday tunes, and did an amazing job to help spread holiday cheer throughout the park!

We also want to thank the entire crew of Clay Center Public Utilities for their hard work and the many hours they spent installing the lighting displays and checking bulbs throughout the park so that our community can continue this wonderful Christmas tradition!

Most of all, we want to thank all of our sponsors who donated to the event and the ongoing renovations at the Zoo!!! ---AND each and every one of you that drove through and shared your hard-earned dollars with us! All of you once again made this year's "Lights Before Christmas" a massive success and we couldn't be more greatful!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Clay Center Zoo and the Clay Center Public Utilities! See you again next year!

12/14/2024

Thank you to everyone who came out last night for the 4th annual Lights Before Christmas! If you haven't come yet, make sure to come through tonight (6pm to 9pm) to see us and get some goodies!

12/13/2024

Tomorrow is the big day, so spread the word and join us this Friday and Saturday (Dec 13th & 14th, 2024) from 6pm to 9pm for the fourth annual "Lights Before Christmas" drive-through fundraiser for the Clay Center Kansas Zoo!!! Bring the family to see Santa & Mrs. Claus, the elves, Frosty the Snowman, the Grinch & Cindy Lou, Buddy the Elf, and couple of new holiday faces this year!

For those of you who haven't attended before, check out the map for flow of traffic into the park. For those of you who have, it's the same as years past.

We greatly appreciate every financial gift that is sent our way as we continue to renovate the zoo. The funds we raise this year will continue going towards the construction of our splash pad, so spread the word and help us make a splash!!!

If you would like to make a donation online, please follow this link:
https://www.claycentercif.org/make-a-donation.cfm?fid=1635

11/27/2024

It’s here…our favorite zoo event of the year! Come support your local zoo. Your generosity built the Welcome Center and now let’s get the Splash Pad built! We look forward to seeing all of you drive through at this year’s fundraiser! Lots of FUN surprises await you!

11/09/2024

Despite last night's rain, the Coffee and Cavies event is still a go! You may want to bring a lawn chair rather than a blanket, but we do have a few tarps for those that would still like to sit on the ground. So come on down and enjoy fresh coffee and/or hot chocolate with the cavies this morning!

11/06/2024

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our friends, "The Homeschool Bunch", for putting together such an incredible bake sale for the zoo! This group of kids and their parents went above and beyond to raise money for the zoo and their hard work and effort deserves recognition! Way to go Homeschoolers, you all rock!!!

11/06/2024

10/31/2024

Happy Halloween from the CC Zoo!

10/13/2024

Make sure to come out and see our friends, "The Homeschool Bunch" on Saturday October 26th at Ray's Apple Market and pick up some tasty treats! They are a great group of kids and parents always looking for ways to help the zoo. So mark your calendars and make sure to come help this hardworking bunch "make a splash" as they raise funds for the Zoo!

09/23/2024

On behalf of the Clay Center Zoo and Utility Park, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of the generous donors who participated in the 2024 Gather for Good campaign. Your contributions have been instrumental in helping us improve both the zoo and the park, creating better spaces for our animals and visitors alike.

09/18/2024

Tomorrow is the big day! This is such a wonderful event for our community! Please join us for the Gather for Good Match Day tomorrow from Noon until 8 p.m. We will be in person from 1 to 8 p.m. at the Clay County Museum. We will bring along one of our new feathered friends for you to meet. If you can't join us in person, you can donate at GatherForGoodCC.com. The Clay Center Utility Park and Zoo thank you for your support.

08/07/2024

We would like to introduce the newest residents of the zoo, Patagonian Cavies! The Patagonian Cavy, also know as the Patagonian Mara, is a large species of rodent native to the arid grasslands of central and southern Argentina. Their strange appearance often causes them to be mistaken for some type of large rabbit or small deer. However, they are actually a relative of the Guinea Pig. Make sure to stop by the zoo and check them out!

06/04/2024

Yesterday evening we found what looks to be an American Girl doll that was left in the zoo. If the doll belongs to you and you can give a description of it, we will happily get it back to you!

05/06/2024

There has been some misinformation reported recently and we would like everyone to know that the zoo is NOT closed while construction takes place. The zoo is open daily from 9am to 5pm Mon - Sat and 10am to 5pm on Sundays.

12/21/2023

The 2023 "Lights Before Christmas" was another spectacular year! We are continually blown away by the support we get from the community and everyone that supports the Zoo! We have already begun talking about ideas for next year! We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone that donated their time and resources this year! More changes and growth are coming to the Zoo this spring!

We greatly appreciate the numerous individuals, groups, and families that helped make this year's event possible:

Singers:
-The Grace Notes
-The Community Choir
-Riley Middle School Choir
-Laurie Larson
-Wendy Pettitt

Zoo Fundraising Committee:
-Scott and Lyn Patterson
-Ginger and Josie Walker
-Judy and Kevin Dunn
-Scott and Amy Glaves
-Chris and Libby Mellies
-Garett and Natalie Payne
-Deb Luthi
-Michelle Tessaro

Holiday Fun Stations provided by:
-Mark and Theresa Charbonneau, reprising their roles as the Elves!
-Steve and Terri Melby, reprising their roles for Frosty the Snowman.
-Natalie Payne and daughter Ava Sergi as the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who this year.
-Bob and Barb Beaver, reprising their roles as Santa and Mrs Claus with help from Deb Luthi as Rudolph.
-Cursti and Carly Sorell as the Christmas Trees.
-Brian and Ganelle Rieger as Buddy the Elf and Jovie.
-Jim and Lisa Seley one again provided the sound system to help spread holiday cheer throughout the park!

We also want to thank the entire crew of Clay Center Public Utilities for their hard work and the many hours they spent installing the lighting displays and checking bulbs throughout the park so that our community can continue this wonderful Christmas tradition!

Most of all, we want to thank all of our sponsors who donated to the event and the ongoing renovations at the Zoo!!! ---AND each and every one of you that drove through and shared your hard-earned dollars with us! All of you made 2023 a massive success and we couldn't be more greatful!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Clay Center Zoo and the Clay Center Public Utilities! See you again next year!

12/09/2023

A huge thank you to everyone who came out last night to support the zoo at the 3rd annual Lights Before Christmas! For those of you who haven't made it yet, we will be open tonight from 6pm to 9pm! Make sure to drive through the Utility Park to see the lights and meet many of your favorite holiday characters (who will be handing out goodies along the way)! Thank you again for your support of the zoo!