Online Contest To Name Haddonfield Giraffe Sculpture Launches

HADDONFIELD, NJ — Students and residents in Haddonfield are invited to name a 12-foot-tall bronze giraffe that will be unveiled as part of the borough’s Sculpture Month in April.

The online contest runs through March 31, ahead of the sculpture reveal on April 4 in Haddonfield’s Children’s Sculpture Zoo on Kings Highway. The zoo is already home to a bunny rabbit, a sea lion and a toad. To submit a name, visit www.HaddonfieldSculpture.org.

At 3:30 p.m. on April 2, kids ages 6 and up can make a clothespin giraffe at the Haddonfield Library, 60 Haddon Avenue. On April 3, the Library will host Toddler Giraffe Craft Time at 1:15pm, for ages 2 and up. Space is limited. To sign up, visit www.HaddonfieldLibrary.org.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 4, children ages 3 and up and parents are invited for “Mixed Media Giraffe Crafts” at Markeim Arts Center, 104 Walnut Street. To sign up, visit www.markeimartscenter.org.

The statue will be unveiled at the zoo at 2 p.m. the Children’s Sculpture Garden in Tatem Park, Kings Highway and Evergreen Avenue. At that time, the winners of the naming contest will also be announced. Prizes include tickets to the Philadelphia Zoo and town-wide gift certificates.

Depicting the tallest land mammal standing upright, the sculpture is cast in bronze and measures 12 feet in height, nearly six feet from chest to rear, and its belly spanning nearly three feet. It accurately details characteristics such as the horn-like protuberances (“ossicones”), the striking, patterned coat, and its most distinctive feature — the elongated neck.

April 4 also marks the beginning of a sculpture-themed scavenger hunt for all ages. Clue lists are available at Inkwood Books, the Haddonfield Information Center and the Haddonfield Library. The last day to sign up is April 25, International Sculpture Day and Independent Bookstore Day.

Residents are invited to celebrate by seeing as many sculptures around town as possible and celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with the drawing for Scavenger Hunt winner(s) at 4 p.m. at Inkwood Books’ new location, 106 Kings Highway East.

All events are presented by the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust (HOST), a nonprofit public/private outdoor educational 501(c)3 initiative bringing traditional and contemporary works by noted sculptors to the downtown district, some permanent and some temporary.