The Maryland Zoo is celebrating the ancient and modern uses of the bamboo at its Wild About Bamboo Festival, the first of its kind.
“The zoo has a lot of bamboo growing [on its property], and we thought it?s something that would interest people,” said Lainie Contreras, public relations manager at the zoo.
Demonstrations this weekend on how to use bamboo for wind chimes, flooring and canoes will give visitors an understanding of the 1,500 uses for this plant, which also can be eaten.
The festival came about after the Northeastern chapter of the American Bamboo Society asked if the zoo would be interested in hosting its annual meeting, Susan Gossling Walters, special events coordinator.
Among the attractions will be a bamboo sculpture by artist Alonzo Davis, who has been working with bamboo for 10 years.
“The piece at the zoo is called ?Gateway,? ”
said Davis, who did the project in honor of the conference. The free form bamboo art stands at about 12 feet by 10 feet wide on a series of post at the entrance to the festival.
Wild About Bamboo
» Venue: The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
» Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
» Tix: Free with general admission
