(ABC 6 News) – With winter just around the corner, Olmsted County’s Oxbow Park is preparing for events to invite the community to the zoo.

Zollman Zoo will host a zoodazzle this upcoming Friday, December 1st, and Saturday, December 2nd.

The zoodazzle invites the community to take part in games, crafts, and story time at the oxbow nature center, and kids will even get a visit from Santa. The trails and walkways at oxbow park will also be decorated with over 200,000 lights.

“It’s nice to have people come here in the winter, I think a lot of people don’t realize we’re open in the winter, but we are,” said Hope Chappuis, a naturalist at Zollman Zoo. “And all of our animals get to live here year round ,they are Minnesota native. Just cuz it’s cold outside doesn’t mean there’s not fun things to do.”

The zoodazzle will take place from 5 to 8 pm on both Friday and Saturday next weekend and there will be a lights show the following weekend on December 8th and 9th from 4 to 8 pm.