APPLE VALLEY, Minn. - Governor Mark Dayton has declared May 22, 2018 as Minnesota Zoological Garden Day in honor of the Minnesota Zoo turning 40.
"People call it the new zoo but it's not new anymore," Minnesota Zoo director John Frawley said. "It's 40 years old!"
Since the days of its ribbon-cutting, the landscaping has changed and so have the exhibits. However, for the most part, the heart of the Minnesota Zoo has stayed the same.
"Animals and people, what more could you want?" said Gail Wold. Wold has been a Tuesday volunteer with the zoo for the past 38 years.
"My husband saw an ad in the paper and said, 'You love animals and you love children. Why don't you try it?' And I was hooked right from the start," Wold said.
Since then she has volunteered over 1,900 of her Tuesdays, dedicating her time to educating young minds. Wold says her number of Tuesdays given to the zoo continues to grow.
"It never gets old," Wold said. "It's never like, 'Oh, it's Tuesday morning I gotta set the alarm.' It's always like, 'It's Tuesday morning! I get to go to the zoo!'"
As the zoo ages with grace, Frawley points out that none of it is possible without the people.
"We've had 40 years of amazing, that's what we're saying to everybody," Frawley said. "40 years of thanking people, making the zoo the great zoo it is."
And for one woman who has been hooked since the near beginning, Wold said she never plans on leaving.
"Retire? I said they either have to fire me or carry me out because I plan on staying," Wold said with a laugh.
Frawley said new developments are on the agenda for the zoo in the coming years. He said they also plan on renovating some of its exhibits.