Governor Rell Presents Zoo Director Gregg Dancho with Statewide Award

4/10/2009

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.—April 10, 2009—Gregg Dancho, director of Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, the state's only Zoo, will be honored with a Culture and Tourism Distinguished Advocate Award on April 15, 2009. Individuals from the arts, historic preservation, tourism, and film industries will come together for an evening of celebration during the 2009 Governor's Awards for Excellence in Culture & Tourism, presented by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT). The awards ceremony will take place in the atrium of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford at 6:30pm and is open to the public.

"The Governor's Awards recognize those whose work is enduring and great. They bring pride to Connecticut and the nation," said Karen Senich, executive director of the Commission on Culture & Tourism. "We're pleased to recognize their efforts."

Recipients of the Distinguished Advocate Awards are Connecticut residents who have worked to strengthen, preserve or promote the arts, history, film and tourism in the state. They have made a significant impact on one or more organizations or have made important contributions to their communities, regions or the state. Dancho, a Stratford resident, is being honored for his 25 year commitment to the Zoo and to tourism in the Bridgeport region.

In a letter supporting Dancho's nomination, Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch wrote, "Gregg Dancho has distinguished himself as a consistent voice of vision and reason at both the local and state levels for 25 years. As such, I am proud to endorse this well-deserved nomination."

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About Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo:

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Visitors won't want to miss our Amur (Siberian) tigers, Andean condor, ocelots, red & maned wolves, Andean (spectacled) bears, and golden lion tamarins. Other highlights include our South American rainforest with free-flight aviary, the prairie dog exhibit with "pop-up" viewing areas, the New England Farmyard with goats, cows, pigs, sheep and other barnyard critters, plus the hoofstock trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer and more. Visitors can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove, and enjoy a ride on our colorful carousel. For more information, visit http://www.beardsleyzoo.org