Her name is Mickey Lower, but most of us know her as the Zoo Lady. But how many of us know the Zoo Lady? I was thrilled to get a chance to chat with Mickey as she prepped for last week's Zoot Dance Party at the Children's Discovery Museum, where I learned she is more than a face painter. She is a teacher, a thespian, a pseudo Ed McMahon, an artist, a proud parent, a philanthropist, a dancer, a champion of children and much more.
As Mickey set out costumes and cued up music in preparation for December's Zoot Dance Party, themed White Christmas, I asked her to tell me more about this program. "It's parents' night out/kids' night in. So the parents drop kids off; it's a very affordable babysitter. They learn some dance techniques, a little history about the musical, and hopefully have a lot of fun. And get a lot of exercise," she explained. In its 5th year at the Children's Discovery Museum, Zoot Dance Party is for girls and boys from Kindergarten through 5th grade, includes face painting and a performance for the parents during the last 15 minutes of the program. It takes place on the 2nd Friday of each month and January's Zoot Dance Party theme will be Cats!
So how did Mickey Lower become The Zoo Lady? "I wanted to be an actress," Mickey tells me. "But my father told me, 'No, no. You're going to be a home economics teacher.'" Following her father's advice she studied home economics education, but she worked in a few minors as well: theatre, art, communications and speech.
For years Mickey taught Home Economics in Clinton, IL. And then 15 years ago created an elective called 'Star Search'; a class where the students would put on performances once a month. It was positioned as a theatre class, which she taught in addition to home economics, but her work with the students made it much more than just theatre. Her innovation, initiative and passion for this theatre course would open many doors for Mickey. "The regional office allowed teachers to shadow people in the workforce in the summer. So for Home Economics I shadowed a cake decorator and a donut maker, that sort of thing. And for the theatre class I shadowed a clown," Mickey explained. "And she had the basic skills in face painting. Very simple, but she knew the right kind of paint so I said, 'I'm kind of interested in doing that when I retire'. When I ordered the paint there was a brochure for a face painting convention and I said to my daughter, 'let's go.' And the convention just opened doors for us. My daughter is now working for one of the artists we met at that convention in New York. She is a fine artist, and of course I get to do what I do."
Mickey no longer teaches in Clintion but is now the premier and most artistic face painter in Bloomington-Normal. "In this area seven years ago, the only face painters available were cheek artists. And once I went to that convention I saw there is more out there, and our kids deserve the kind of faces they're getting at Disney that are costing their parents $20-25. We need this." says Mickey. And so she started her work as the Zoo Lady. Every year she goes to conventions to 'kick it up a notch'. Three years ago Mickey also did a whole body painting series. As a former teacher she believes in continued learning, enabling her to become the best at what she does. Painting faces and leading Zoot Dance Parties has allowed her one more thing as well - "to be able to be around the kids, something I knew I would miss after I retired."
Another passion of hers: giving back to the community. This coming year, the Zoo Lady along with the Cornbelters and Rosati's Pizza, is taking part in Coins for Kids; an event that supports Easter Seals and provides disability awareness to schools. During this event, students will raise money for Easter Seals and the class that raises the most money from each school will get to have their faces painted by the Zoo Lady, receive lunch from Rosati's and get a visit from the Cornbelters' Corny! Mickey is looking forward to participating in such a great cause.
As children began to filter into the Zoot Dance class, Mickey met them with high energy and warm smiles. Many of the children had been to Zoot Dance Parties before and jumped right into learning the steps. A couple newcomers were timid at first but with Mickey's encouragement and the anticipation of fun costumes and new friends, jumped in soon after. I watched all 30 children learn the choreography and get excited to perform for their parents.
The Zoo Lady and her ZOO Crew, as her logo states, are all trained by Mickey. Nine strong, they are available for your school event, fundraiser, customer or employee appreciation, or private birthday party. "I'm very proud of my crew, and love it when I get feedback from clients saying how "great" they were," Mickey says. "Bloomington/Normal and surrounding towns, small and large such as Peoria, Champaign, Decatur and Springfield have supported the company, and I am grateful. "
I had a great time visiting with the Zoo Lady, and like you and all of our children, I look forward to seeing her at a local event soon.
For more information on the Zoo Lady and her Zoo Crew visit www.facepaintingzoolady.com or contact Mickey Lower at callzoocrew@yahoo.com. You can find the Zoo Lady on Facebook too!
Fore more information on Easter Seals and the Coins for Kids program visit http://ci.easterseals.com/.
