The Rosamond Gifford Zoo has a new attraction for children who visit the zoo – the Octomaze bounce house, a giant purple inflatable bounce maze shaped like an octopus that beckons across from the Explorer’s Playspace.

The 600-pound, 26-feet-diameter, 18-foot-tall Octomaze arrived just in time to be inflated and ready to go for Zoo Boo, the zoo’s Halloween event that runs this weekend, Oct. 21-22, and next weekend, Oct. 28-29.

The Octomaze was generously funded by Rick and Laura Iorio of Manlius, zoo supporters who also funded the zoo’s Giant Pacific octopus exhibit, said Janet Agostini, president of the Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.

“Rick and Laura have a deep appreciation for undersea life that led them to offer to fund our Giant Pacific octopus exhibit in 2013,” Agostini said. “They are also all about the zoo experience and what they can do for children, so it was an easy consideration for them to also fund the Octomaze.”

The zoo inflated the bounce house for the first time Wednesday, and youngsters at the zoo came running, Agostini said. “After seeing the excitement from the children even as we were first installing it, I think we can safely say that this will be a very popular and fun addition to the zoo.”

The Octomaze is both a bounce house and a maze because it’s divided into sections that kids can duck or crawl through. The inside walls have inflated hand- and foot-holds so little ones can “rock-climb” as well as bounce around.

Octomaze is geared for children aged 10 and under and is free with zoo admission. It will be open both weekends of Zoo Boo, weather permitting. Children will be required to remove their shoes to go inside, and socks are required. For Zoo Boo, kids who want to bounce may also wish to remove bulky or fragile costumes.

Zoo Boo is an annual Halloween event that invites children to “trick-or- treat with the animals” at the zoo. Besides Octomaze, Zoo Boo attractions include 10 treat stations throughout the zoo, Visit the Fortune-Teller, the Land of Mythical Creatures, creepy-crawly animal encounters, and a Monster Mash Dance Party in the zoo’s banquet room, among other activities.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Oct. 21, 22, 28 and 29. The cost is $8 per child in addition to zoo admission. For more information, visit rosamondgiffordzoo.org/zoo-boo.

By martha

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