Charles Paddock Zoo entrance sign unveiled
Atascadero Charles Paddock Zoo entrance sign unveiling, left to right, welder Burt Johnson, artist Mark Greenaway, Mayor Pro Tem Heather Moreno, MOWW Committee Member Chuck Ward, Mayor Tom O’Malley, Planning Commission and President of the Kiwanis Club Mark Dariz, Councilmember Bob Kelley, Councilmember Roberta Fonzi and The Monuments Men, Jerry Clay.
Unique new entrance sign welcomes visitors in memory of Charles Paddock
–On Thursday, June 2 at 12 p.m., members of the Atascadero City Council and the Charles Paddock Zoo, together with the Vandenberg Chapter of the Military Order of World Wars (MOWW) and local artist Mark Greenaway attended by members of the public, unveiled the new entrance sign that will now welcome visitors to the Charles Paddock Zoo. The entrance sign is a unique and artistic design with animals in the zoo letters and in the leaves of the tree, all of which forms a welcoming arched entrance as guests make their way into the zoo.
Official unveiling of the new sign.
The zoo entrance sign idea was conceived and made possible through the efforts of the MOWW Committee which, after review and approval by the city council, did all of the fundraising and financed the artistic design and construction of the sign. Mark Greenaway, who created the bronze Charles Paddock statue which greets visitors at the zoo’s front gate, was also responsible for designing the new entry sign. Greenaway teamed up with Burton Johnson of Thesteelxburt Company to construct the design in steel; then Full Spectrum applied the powder coatings and Greenaway did the final painting.
Chuck Ward unveiling the new signage at the zoo, next to the statue of Charles Paddock and his possum Cosmo.
Atascadero resident and MOWW member Chuck Ward said the sign was a group effort. “When you tap into the talent and creativity of veterans within the community you can do wonderful things. When you put a group like this together you can get anything done.” He said the MOWW groups’ focus was patriotism and local community projects.
Atascadero Mayor Tom O’Malley said Atascadero has always had a history as a community for doing things for our families. “It is a goal of our council to build infrastructure that families can enjoy,” he said. “The more you look at the new sign the more you can see.”
The new entrance sign at the zoo, design by artist Mark Greenway.
Over 200 animals call the Charles Paddock Zoo home, including red pandas, monkeys, meerkats, parrots, a Malayan Tiger, a variety of reptiles and more. The Charles Paddock Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Regular admission is $7 for adults age 12 and over, $6 for seniors over the age of 65 and $5 for children age 3-11. Children under the age of two are free.
The zoo will hold a competition for children to guess the number of animals in the new sign, entry forms can be picked up from the zoo ticket booth. The Atascadero Lake Park and the Charles Paddock Zoo are located just off of Highway 41 in Atascadero. For more information, visit www.charlespaddockzoo.org.
