TACOMA, Wash. — Bigfoot will light up Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium this year as the holiday lights tradition celebrates its 30th year.
"Yeah, I love it. It's super fun," said Deanna Wendt, who has worked at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium for the last 10 years.
But her nostalgia goes back farther.
"I remember coming when I was really little,” Wendt said. “The skating puffins up there, the really old ones, and you're like, yeah, I remember this."
Her coworker Paul Sackmann has worked at Point Defiance Zoo for 20 years.
"The old days with the C7 bulbs we had crews running around just changing bulbs out and the squirrels loved to chew them off," said Sackmann.
They're working with energy efficient LED lights now to create complex characters. This year, 700,000 lights will fill the area.
"It’s tricky finding the right spots for figurines and displays and stuff, because it shows from different angles, and do you think people walking this direction,” said Wendt.
This year came up with something new: the Pacific Northwest legend of Bigfoot.
"We want it to be visible but kind of hidden and little bit of a secret to discover so it’s been a little bit more in the bushes than our regular figurines," said Wendt.
It’s a fun experience that hopefully will span another three decades.
"I hope people have fun looking for it,” said Wendt. “I hope it's something that’s kind of nostalgic for people who have lived here a long time.”
Zoolights will run from November 23 to January 6 daily from 5-9 p.m. Tickets are $6-$12.
