By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
His name is Spalding, he’s around 3 feet long, weighs 18 ounces and is about 25 years old. He slithers and flicks out his tongue a lot. Oh, he’s friendly, too.
“He’s really nice,” Nikki Freyer said of Spalding as Harper Boyle, 4, and her 3-year-old sister, Marlowe, looked quizzically at the snake, a ball python.
Although curious, the two little girls didn’t seem the least bit scared while watching the snake. In fact, they wanted to pet the python while it wrapped itself around a piece of wood.
“He’s ticklish,” Marlowe said with a giggle.
Spalding, one of the denizens of the Cape May County Zoo, was arguably the star attraction Saturday during the Family-Friendly Nature and the Environment Fun-Day event at Ocean City’s Howard S. Stainton Senior Center.
Kristen Boyle, of Upper Township, brought her daughters Harper and Marlowe for a day of fun. The girls were fascinated by the python while it was being handled by Freyer, of the Cape May County Zoo.
“It’s a great day,” Boyle said. “It’s the perfect amount of activity for them and their level of interest.”
Freyer explained that Spalding is one of the zoo’s “education ambassador animals” that visit schools, libraries, senior centers and other places so that children and adults alike may learn more about wildlife and the environment.
“He’s very popular,” Freyer said. “Most of the people love a snake today, which is a little unusual because most of the time people are afraid.”
Freyer let people get close to Spalding, but they weren’t allowed to pet him. She said the big crowd at the Family-Friendly Nature and the Environment Fun-Day could have stressed the snake if everyone had touched him.
In addition to zoo animals, the event included crafts, games, music and stories. Now in its fourth year, the Fun-Day teaches children about the environment by using kid-friendly activities to grab their attention.
“This event allows kids to have a hands-on experience. It brings them knowledge and heightens their experience with the environment,” said Rick Bernardini, chairman of the Ocean City Environmental Commission.
The Environmental Commission, the sponsor of the event, teamed up with the Ocean City Free Public Library, the Cape May County Zoo and the Ocean City High School Environmental Association.
Continuing with an eco-friendly theme, the Environmental Commission will next hold a “green gardening” session to promote organic alternatives to chemical pesticides or fertilizers. It is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 11 at the library’s lecture hall.
Meanwhile, among the activities Saturday, kids learned how to make birdfeeders out of pine cones. One of them, 6-year-old Emma DeMario, slathered sunflower butter on her pine cone birdfeeder so she could attach some seeds.
“I’m making a birdfeeder,” Emma exclaimed while being helped by Olivia Heng, a sophomore at Ocean City High School and member of the Environmental Association.
Dominic and Jennifer DeMario, of Egg Harbor Township, watched in amusement while their daughter dipped her fingers in the sticky sunflower butter. Emma’s brother, Victor, was also with the family.
Dominic DeMario said the family was enjoying a Lego Club outing at the library when they heard about the Fun-Day just down the hall in the Stainton Senior Center. He thought his children would enjoy learning about the environment because they like feeding squirrels at home.
“They love getting into cool activities that are outdoors and are not on an iPad,” DeMario said.
