ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —
Rabbit Rabbit is a venue known for its outdoor concerts, but not necessarily for the animals it’s named for.
That could change this weekend, as the popular Kid Hop Hooray event returns with some special animal guests.
Appalachian Wild will be bringing its Animal Ambassadors for Meet the Animals Day, starting at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, June 1, at Rabbit Rabbit, 73 Coxe Ave., in downtown Asheville.
Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, or Appalachian Wild, is a local non-profit organization dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation in Western North Carolina.
The clinic opened in July 2018 and serves all kinds of Appalachian animals at their facility. Ducks, opossums, squirrels, turtles and snakes are several of the patients the organization proudly features on their website.
A few of the animals under Appalachian Wild’s care never are released back to the wild due to the extent of their injuries. However, Appalachian Wild brings the outdoors to them. These long-term facility residents have the potential to be elevated to the illustrious position of Animal Ambassador.
The Kid Hop Hooray event will benefit Appalachian Wild’s Wild Animal Rescue initiative.
Kids and their parents will be able to meet a few of the beneficiaries of that rescue during the event.
Some of the Ambassadors include: Footloose the Rouen Duck, Helen the Eastern Box Turtle, and Squish and Squash, a pair of Cope’s Grey Treefrogs.
Each of the animals has a rescue story, and their names are occasionally a clever gesture to their recovery. Footloose, for instance, arrived at Appalachian Wild in with an injured leg and foot. He ultimately lost the foot, but according to the Appalachian Wild Instagram page, his spirit healed quickly. He’s literally footloose, but also footloose and fancy-free.
The Rabbit Rabbit event will feature the Animal Ambassadors from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., but the Kid Hop Hooray festivities will continue to 1:30 p.m.
Other attractions feature a family-friendly dance floor hosted by DJ Oso, face-painting, a bouncy castle and treats and beverages available for purchase from The Hop.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for kids, and can be found on the Rabbit Rabbit website, rabbitrabbitavl.com.
More information on Appalachian Wild can be found at appalachianwild.org.