Rain could have dampened the spirits of the gussied up Zoobilee-goers last night, but come on, kids â€" this is Tacoma!  We know rain, and we know how to cope with it.

Consequently, the accessory de riguer for the event was the umbrella, with a close second place going to galoshes.

And the fine folks of the Zoo Society who threw the event upped the temperature of the entertainment this year, so within the confines of the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, it was still sizzling hot summertime.

The Burlesque performances by Orchestra L’Pow were divine, with a “zoo” full of bodacious bodies, while the fire dancing antics of Pyrosutra Incendiary Dance were … well, hell, I was gonna use the word incendiary, but they already did.

Other live performances, ranging from the Chopsticks piano dudes and a variety of acts like Cambalache Salsa, who greeted guests on a festive note outside the zoo, as well as the Beatniks, $5 Fine, and the Darren Motamedy Band, who entertained and got booties shaking inside the zoo.

I noted the availability of more water than I had noticed last year (nice!), as well as an unobtrusive upping of the recycling effort.  I heard someone comment, “more dining coverage would have been nice,” but my thinking was the AA Party Rental guys outdid themselves putting up all the shelters that were there â€" even in peak wedding season! â€" not to mention how not-fun it must have been to put all that stuff up in the torrents of rain earlier in the week.

Food, drink, and socialization were all well and good, but the truly fun part of Zoobilee was, as always the people watching as the night â€" and general inebriation level â€" progressed; it was also very fun in a surreal way to walk the darkened trails in the zoo, under a canopy of opened umbrellas, eating yummy, yummy food and sipping yummy, yummy drinks as the rain came down.   

My own favorite part, seeing Zoobilee neophyte Chef Pete Weikel with his ear to ear grin, and his comment, “I had no idea this was gonna be so COOL!”

Yep, it was. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler