Jackson Free Press logo

This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

The Jackson Zoo announced on Friday that it would postpone the annual Ice Cream Safari from Saturday, July 13, to Saturday, Aug. 3.

“After several days of discussions and studying the forecasts, we see the possibility of heavy rains and wind arriving soon. Therefore, we at the Jackson Zoo are erring on the side of caution for the safety of our community and our animals,” the zoo said in a press release.

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and tickets for the originally planned date will transfer over to the new one. Admission is $14.25 for adults, $11.25 for children and $4 for zoo members. The Jackson Free Press will be one of the scoopers. For more information, visit jacksonzoo.org.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.