EUSTIS, Fla. (January 12, 2023) — Good barbecue. Good music. A good cause. Does it get better?
The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens’ Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation (OCIC) is bringing them all together on February 11 for the second annual Indigo Bluegrass BBQ. The event will run from noon to 4 p.m. at the OCIC, with parking at Cassia Community Center, 29245 Florida Highway 44 in Eustis.
The country casual event will allow guests to get outside and enjoy the sounds of the popular Lake County group, Blackwater Creek Bluegrass Band. A delicious selection of barbecue favorites will also be served up, provided by OakWood Smokehouse & Grill. Beer will be provided by Wayne Densch, Inc., and wine will also be available.
Tickets are $30 per person or $50 for two and are available here.
Proceeds from the event support the OCIC’s mission to re-introduce the eastern indigo snake—a threatened species native to the longleaf pine ecosystems of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida that has been affected by habitat loss. The OCIC also works to reintroduce the striped newt.
But supporters of conservation don’t have to wait to make a difference. The OCIC and the Central Florida Zoo will be auctioning off several items to benefit both organizations’ conservation missions starting January 12. Items include a Frigidaire wine refrigerator stocked with select bottles, a 48-inch American Fyre Fire Bowl, unique Zoo experiences, a four-hour guided bass fishing trip, the chance to name an eastern indigo hatchling and more.
“This event was so much fun last year that we knew we had to do it again,” said Dr. James Bogan, the director of the OCIC. “It allows guests to get away from everything for a day of great food, great music, and great company. Plus, we couldn’t do the work we do every day without this support. Attendees can help save a species.”
The OCIC is the only captive breeding facility for the eastern indigo snake with the sole purpose of releasing the offspring into regions where the population has been extirpated. The group has released more than 300 snakes to date at The Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve in Bristol and Alabama’s Conecuh National Forest.
The Central Florida Zoo shares that mission for conservation, providing experiences that excite and inspire adults and children to learn and act on behalf of wildlife.
Attendees are asked to park at the Cassia Community Center and will be shuttled to the event site. The sponsor for the event is Publix Super Market Charities.
For more information about the OCIC, visit https://www.centralfloridazoo.org/OCIC. For more information about the Central Florida Zoo, visit www.centralfloridazoo.org.
