ROYAL OAK, Mich., May 25, 2007 – In keeping with the Detroit Zoological Society’s “Out of Africa” theme for this year’s Sunset at the Zoo, national and local luminaries decorated and signed African-themed masks for an online auction to precede the June 15 fundraiser.  The masks will be auctioned on eBay with proceeds benefiting the Detroit Zoological Society.  Visit http://www.detroitzoo.org/ between May 31 and June 10 and click on the Celebrity African Mask icon to bid.

Up for auction are celebrity-decorated and -signed masks by:
• Actor and Birmingham, Mich., native Tim Allen.
• Former Detroit Lions cornerback and Pro Football Hall of Fame honoree Lem Barney.
• Actress and Dancing with the Stars contestant Vivica A. Fox.
• Singer and Dreamgirls Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson.
• Emmy Award-winning actor and voice of Star Wars’ Darth Vader James Earl Jones.
• Novelist and Birmingham, Mich., resident Elmore “Dutch” Leonard.
• Actor and Grammy Award-winning rapper Ludacris.
• Detroit Pistons announcer and host of WGPR 107.5 FM’s Mason Radio in the Morning John Mason. 
• Actor, comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Meadows.
• Emmy Award-winning Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville.
• Actress on Fox TV’s 24 and Trenton, Mich., native Mary Lynn Rajskub.
• Producer, director and Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker.

Sunset at the Zoo is Metro Detroit’s “wildest” party featuring a strolling supper, zoo-themed martinis, live entertainment, dancing, and live and silent auctions.  Presented by General Motors, the event takes place in the Detroit Zoo’s main picnic grove on Friday, June 15, 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., rain or shine.   The Zoo will close at 2 p.m. that day in preparation for the event.

Tickets for Sunset at the Zoo range from $125 to $500 per person.  A VIP Reception sponsored by JP Morgan Chase will be held on Friday, June 15, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Zoo’s African Grasslands for those purchasing $500 and $250 tickets.  Tickets are available for purchase by phone at (248) 541-5717 ext. 3750.

Sunset at the Zoo is also supported by Comerica Bank, Compuware, Dining in the Wild, Gerald D. Bantom Dreams in Progress, Henry Ford Health System, Hour Detroit, Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C., and Rock Financial.   Fox 2 News Morning anchors Fanchon Stinger and Alan Lee and traffic reporter Jackie Paige will emcee the event. 

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11.00 for adults 13 to 61, $9.00 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7.00 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit http://www.detroitzoo.org/.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March, and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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