After two years of virtual events, party animals—and zoo animals—were out in full force at An Evening at the Oasis: ZooFest 2022. Co-chairs Lesley and Brad Canfield oversaw an evening that raised $500,000 for 400 guests—Ed and Lynn Poole, Rosemary Baker and David Jochim, Brenda Jewett, and Daru Kawalkowski among them—starting with cocktails in Moroccan-inspired tents, a dinner by McCalls in a bigger tent, and a live auction led by the zoo’s executive director, Tanya Peterson.
Feeding sessions with giraffes and penguins were popular, but the night’s highest bid of $26,000 came from Peninsula real estate developer John McNellis for naming rights for a trio of Mexican gray wolves. The evening ended with dancing to music by The Family Stone. Urban dweller Justin Stevens, attending with Emily Allan, enjoyed an escape from the concrete jungle, however brief. “It warms the heart,” he said, “to coexist with animals you don’t see that often.”
Photos by Drew Altizer Photography