Real reindeer, close enough to touch

By Tina Potterf
Seattle Times staff reporter

	PETER RITTLER The Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah has the largest herd of Siberian reindeer in North America. You can see all 24 of them, and Santa, at the Issaquah Reindeer Festival.
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Looking for Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen? Or Comet, Cupid, Donner or Blitzen?

Look to the hills, not the sky, for a peek at these festive four-legged creatures who happen to be the stars of the Issaquah Reindeer Festival, which runs daily through Dec. 23 at Cougar Mountain Zoo.

The festival began in 1989 as a way to showcase the largest herd of Siberian reindeer in North America (the zoo has 24, a mix of males and females), said the zoo's Vicki Pardee.

Organizers of the Reindeer Festival, which is the zoo's largest fund-raiser of the year, expect 6,000 people to check it out this season.

Event preview Issaquah Reindeer Festival, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Santa's hours 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30-7 p.m.) daily through Dec. 23, Cougar Mountain Zoo, 19525 S.E. 54th St., Issaquah; $6.50-$9.50 (425-391-5508 or www.cougarmountainzoo.org).

Not only do visitors get to see live reindeer roaming the "reindeer pasture," they can get close enough to feed them apple chips and hear their antlers clacking together, all in a beautiful, pastoral setting. It's an experience like no other, Pardee said.

"You can smell (the reindeer) and see the steam coming out of their noses," she said. "It doesn't get any more real.

"It's about having a tactile, three-dimensional, real experience. That gets people to return," she continued. "The kids don't mind the cold; they seem pretty excited about actually being out there with the reindeer. It's really fun."

In addition to the reindeer, patrons can hear traditional Christmas stories from the "storytime elf," sip hot chocolate (or coffee for the young at heart) and take in the sights and sounds of the season, which wouldn't be complete without a visit with the jolly fellow in the red suit. Santa is available for visits and pictures twice a day through the festival.

Those visiting after dark can bask in the beauty of festive lights strewn about the grounds, and listen to choral and instrumental performances.

This Monday, the choir from Tolt Middle School will sing Christmas carols beginning at 5:30 p.m., and next Friday, the Issaquah High School band performs at 6 p.m.

And today, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Seattle's Children's Museum offers its interactive art studio at the zoo for children to engage their creative minds on art projects. There are also opportunities throughout the festival to donate to Toys for Tots. (Bring an unwrapped toy and receive a free ticket for a future visit to the zoo.)

Visitors are encouraged to come dressed for the elements and prepared to have a good, festive outing.

"Santa and the reindeer is what it's all about," Pardee said.

Tina Potterf: 206-464-8214 or tpotterf@seattletimes.com

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