Tiny Upstate New York Zoo to Host Massive Pokémon Event This Weekend

Are you ready to catch them all?

Soon, Central New York's mightiest trainers will live out their lifelong dream of catching Pokémon in the wild.

Weekend of GO

If you have the addictive AR-styled app Pokémon GO installed on your phone, you're qualified to enjoy the biggest event of the year for local trainers.

The Utica Zoo is opening its doors for trainers of all ages for a massive community day on Sunday, November 5.

The special event runs between 10 a.m. in the morning to closing time at 4:30 in the evening.

Said Allison Snyder, the zoo's Director of Marketing & Community Engagement:

All around the Utica Zoo, there will be "in game" Pokémon Gyms and PokeStops. Beginning at 2 pm, the zoo will be activating "lures", allowing visitors to catch even more cool creatures. The featured Pokémon for this upcoming Community Day will be Wooper.

Wooper will spawn in game between 2 and 5 p.m. ET. Both the original and Paldean version of the water Pokémon will take over the app. Trainers will have an increased chance of catching a shiny Wooper.

Those who choose to evolve their Wooper will either get a Quagsire that knows the special attack "aqua tail" or a Clodsire that knows "megahorn."

You can read more about the other bonuses and perks that'll happen in game HERE.

Pokémon GO is a free-to-download app that launched in 2016. The game took over the world and was widely credited for encouraging people of all ages to play outdoors and explore new sights.

Utica Zoo is a major supporter of what this app has done to encourage outdoor activities and community involvement.

Don't have the game? No problem!

The Utica Zoo is making sure Pokémon lovers who don't have the app, or a smartphone, can still enjoy the special day.

For those who don’t play Pokémon GO, there will still be activities throughout the Zoo to participate in including:

· Pokémon themed scavenger hunt throughout the zoo.

· Education booth that will feature information on reptiles and amphibians.

· Each visitor will get their own collectible "Utica Zoo Animal Conservation Card"

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Be sure to dress warmly for the event! The current forecast is calling for cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 50s.

Megan, why do you know so much about Pokémon?

I am glad you asked - and stayed long enough to scroll to the bottom of the story.

Pokémon premiered when I was in elementary school and, thus, the perfect age demographic. I grew up without the internet and was only allotted a half-hour of TV time after school, and I burned that precious 30 minutes watching Pokémon.

To date, I still have the Pokérap memorized.

My obsession tripled thanks to my grandmother buying every Pokémon VHS tape and my parents buying me a Gameboy Color (the special Pikachu edition) for Christmas,

Of course, my intense love for the series when I was a kid benefitted me when Pokémon remained a pop culture icon into my adult years. Whenever a job needed someone to talk Charizard and Pikachu, I was their girl.

Honestly, being able to rave about Pokémon for Good Morning America and ABC was a career highlight.

Look, everyone has their "thing" - for some people, it's classic cars and baseball cards. I just happen to have a steel trap memory for pocket monsters.

That said, see you at the Utica Zoo this weekend!

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