Sumter subdivision goes wild with 'zoo'

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DALZELL - Tired of being cooped up in the house but still under stay-at-home orders, some families decided to have some fun and stress relief from another day of homeschooling and general boredom on Tuesday.

My wife, Jennifer Mills, an area middle school teacher, saw a video clip Monday from The Today Show showing how two moms in Oregon recently organized a neighborhood stuffed animal zoo for kids to peruse and enjoy - all while still practicing social distancing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jennifer shared it the same day on the neighborhood Facebook page and asked neighbors if they wanted to do the same on Tuesday because a full day of sunshine was in the forecast. Several residents responded that they thought it was a great idea.

So, Tuesday, about 10 families in Linwood Plantation put on "wildlife displays" in their front yards and driveways, allowing kids to get outside and take in the fun.

Danielle Colegrove and her daughter, Sadie, 5, on Excursion Drive set up a stuffed animal exhibit outside their home in the morning.

Colegrove is now homeschooling Sadie, a kindergartner, she said, since the school she attends, Sumter Christian School, like all other local schools, is closed by the governor's mandate to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

Mom said Sadie was excited with the activity.

"She's enjoyed it," Colegrove said. "If she sees anybody come by, she runs out the door and talks with them about her stuffed animals."

A couple blocks away, Navigator Circle was a hotspot with at least three families setting up "zoos," a couple including live animals.

Dena Rudd had a live petting zoo for kids - "Rudd Roost," she named it - set up in the front yard with eight birds, including two ducks, two hens, a rooster and some baby chicks. In chalk at "Rudd Roost" were educational notes with facts on chickens and ducks.

She and her family, which includes three boys, have a total of 23 birds. Rudd said she has always enjoyed farm animals and is into sustainability - she gets five eggs per day from five full-grown hens. The birds stay in the backyard.

Rudd said she thought the neighborhood zoo idea was great.

One mother and her young son came by Tuesday, Rudd said, and the mom said every morning they walk by and look to see where the duck is.

"This was a chance for her little boy to come and meet the duck and pet him," Rudd said.

If there were a prize for most stuffed animals in the neighborhood, Becky Sestile, who lives just a few houses down on Navigator, would have won it.

She and her two boys put out 57 - at least by one close count - including some in a tree and on a family car in the driveway.

"I think it was an awesome idea," Sestile said. "It's been fun and something different."

Matthew House, an airman stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, had the most unique live animal on display with a bearded dragon lizard. He stayed on the front porch with Rango on his shoulder and also set up stuffed animals on the front lawn, complete with definitions for educational purposes.

When passers-by would stop and look, he and Rango would come down to chat.

House and his wife have three bearded dragons, he said.

When the lizards get agitated, their beards puff up and turn a black color as a defensive mechanism. They also bob their heads up and down.

He liked the zoo idea and, he said, he was up late Monday night typing up the animal definitions.

"We love animals, and I thought it was cool," House said. "I'm glad someone put this idea together."