County Executive Tom Gordon has announced the arrival of 17 new chicks and two young peacocks at Carousel Park in time for the Sleep Under the Stars event scheduled for Saturday.
“Nearly 2,000 people have signed up for this weekend’s Sleep Under the Stars event. They will enjoy hayrides, bonfires, face painting and a myriad of other activities,” County Executive Gordon said. “They can add to that that list the opportunity to view 11 Blue Hen chicks, six Polish chicks, and two peachicks in Carousel Park’s educational petting area.
“I want to thank the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension for donating these beautiful and fascinating chickens and peacocks to the County,” he said. “As you know, the Blue Hen is the Delaware state bird, and the peacocks will grow into exotic, gorgeous birds.”
The half dozen Polish chicks are black and white, and the 11 Blue Hen chicks come in a variety of colors – black, white, and red, NCC Community Services Administrator Regina Marini said.
“They were born in late September and have doubled in size already,” Marini added. “It will be fun to watch them change colors as they continue to grow.”
This is the second Sleep Under the Stars held by New Castle County this autumn. As of Wednesday morning, 1,935 people had signed up for this weekend’s camp out, NCC Department of Community Services General Manager Alan Matas said.
There were a total of 700 people at SUTS Glasgow, he added.
Sleep Under the Stars events were held last spring for the first time since the fall of 2008. County Executive Gordon reinstated the camping and recreational event as one of the County’s family-centered, recreational activities.