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It may be the desert, but that won’t keep wild things, penguins and even snowmen from happily coexisting.
The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory opened its Piñata Paradise exhibit this weekend, bringing a holiday flavor to its Sonoran Desert.
It includes dozens of colorful and fun piñatas filled with small gifts by children for children.
Connor McKinnon, 8, spent five weeks with four classmates at Croninger Elementary School making a gingerbread man piñata. His mother, Tracy, said he was so excited to see it displayed, the family had to visit during the exhibit’s first weekend.
The piñata was part of his Spanish class, where he also wrote about it in both Spanish and English. The reason for choosing a gingerbread piñata was simple for Connor.
“We thought it’d be a yummy treat,” he said, adding it was filled with candy and small toys.
After the exhibit ends, the piñatas are donated to local child agencies throughout the community for their holiday celebrations.
Bob Anspach, with the conservatory, said examples of those organizations are the Weisser Park Youth Center and the Jennings Center.
He said the exhibit has run for several years at the conserva- tory. Mixing piñatas with the desert just made sense, he added.
“It’s kind of like a Mexican desert anyway,” he said. “We thought it would be a good marriage.”
Piñatas are a traditional party favorite in Mexican culture, used at birthday parties, Christmas parties, and other celebrations. The piñatas were made by numerous school groups and donated to the conservatory for the exhibit. In return, students who worked on the art were given passes to come see them on display at the conservatory.
The exhibit runs through Dec. 6. Groups interested in participating in the event by making and donating a piñata can call 427-6446 for more information or visit the conservatory’s Web site at www.botanicalconservatory.org.
Regular admission is required for access to the piñata exhibit, but admissions will be lower this week as the conservatory transitions from its Wizard of Oz exhibit to its holiday exhibit.
The conservatory is closed Mondays.
