By David Israel, Business Manager

Today my wife and I went to the Chattanooga Zoo, not to see the animals, but to experience Go!Fest 2008.  Go!Fest is part of an initiative created by Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield to help make Chattanooga more accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability.

"People of all abilities want to live their lives to the fullest - without limitations," said Mayor Littlefield. "And the public's perception and awareness about disabilities will expand when discoveries are made about how people with different abilities live, work and play together.  We all benefit from unlocking the unique gifts of every citizen.  That's what Go!Fest is all about."

It was a beautiful day to visit the Chattanooga Zoo.  Along with the Chattanooga Department of Parks and Recreation, the city opened the Zoo to the public for free to see the changes in the Zoo and to experience Go!Fest.  We arrived around 11:30am and the parking lots were almost full.  Adults and children of all ages and disabilities were everywhere enjoying the sunshine and the free admission to the zoo. 

Go!Fest is a special project of the Mayor's office, to give the opportunity for all organizations to showcase their programs to children and adults with special needs.  There was something for a wide range of disability, there were disabled artists displaying their work, and organizations giving out information on how to assist people with disabilities.

One of the coolest groups that I got the opportunity to meet up with was SPARC, Sports, Arts and Recreation of Chattanooga.  Part of this group is sports and recreation for the disabled.  SPARC set up in the zoo parking lot to show all the disabled sports they sponsor, basketball, golf, skiing and biking.  Well, I have always wanted to get a bicycle, but they are pretty expensive, so I was thrilled at the opportunity to try one of these bicycles and take it for a spin.  It was a ton of fun and I am hoping to meet up with the group on Monday for a bike ride along the Tennessee River.  The city sponsors this wonderful group, which I plan on joining this week.

Chattanooga is a great town, with incredible amounts of opportunities for all, disabled or able bodied individuals.  There are wonderful activites throughout the city, thanks in part to the Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Department.  Chattanooga has so many great parks and the new Zoo at Warner Park is just one of many wonderful places to spend time with friends and family.