The 15th Annual Boo at the Zoo festivities are underway with help from Zoo Teen Volunteers.

Junior Ellie Cooper, a third-year Zoo Teen, again will be helping at the event.

“It’s a great volunteer opportunity,” she said. “This year, I have over 100 volunteer hours.”

It’s not all about logging those hours, but about helping make Boo at the Zoo happen.

“When you walk into the zoo, you are greeted by our [Zoo Teen] volunteers,” said Andrea Hill, the marketing and communications director at the Zoo. ”[Zoo teens] are usually always a component of our annual events. They come out every night and interact with the guests. They help make the decorations and come up with the theme.”

This year’s theme is Lands of Adventure.

One highlight will be the haunted forest trail, in the wooded part of the zoo that is usually only used for special exhibits. At 7 p.m. things are kicked up a notch, appealing to older audiences.

“There’s still a lot of other things that are fun for everyone, like the hunted trail,” Cooper said.

Boo at the Zoo will be held Oct. 17-19 and Oct. 24-26. General admission is $12 on Fridays and Sundays and $14 on Saturday. For more information, call (321) 254-9453.

By Daphna Krause