In 1912, William King Heiskell built an aviary and included a green parrot and different species of birds from all over the world. The site became the Madera Zoo (hmdb.org) and included several ponds, water fountains and a bandstand. Two of its famous inhabitants were Polly the parrot and Galahad the alligator. Polly was known for his unusual vocabulary he picked up from miners who visited him. He was attacked by a raccoon in the zoo and lived out the rest of his life with Mr. Heiskell's daughter. He was then stuffed and today is found at the Courthouse Museum.
The Fossil Discovery Center (maderamammoths.org) opened its doors on National Fossil Day October 2010. Paleontologists prepared a 700,000 year old Colombian Mammoth tusk and a 65 million year old Mosasaur fossil. In the Fairmead dig site over 15,000 fossils were discovered and are displayed at the center. The center is located across the street from the largest fossil deposit on the West Coast. The center is open Tuesdays through Sundays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Every year in early September, the Madera County Fair (maderafair.com/fair) takes place with exhibits ranging from flowers, fruits and vegetable to baked goods, builts and livestock. The fair also features carnival rides and live entertainment from stars like LeeAnn Rimes and Collective Soul. During the rest of the year, there is Promociones Herrera Mexican bull riding, stock car races at the speedway, the annual Lions Harvest festival and antiques auctions.
The Madera County Courthouse Museum (no website; South Gateway, Madera, CA 93637; 559-675-7944) is located in the original courthouse building, and kids can examine many objects like miner and logging tools that depict the lives of early settlers in the area. The exhibits span turn of the century life to the present day and detail the lives of miners passing through during the gold rush to lumberjacks who rode the flume down from the mountains.
