Art, hops and goodwill in a can: Folsom artist teams with local brewer for Folsom Zoo Sanctuary

If you ever wanted to learn the story of Lenore the Raven or Reggie the Raccoon from the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary while sipping your favorite beer, your wish is coming true. A local artist has teamed up with the owner of a popular local brewery to create what may be the most charming 4-pack of beer you've ever seen: Each can features a beloved animal that lives at the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary. Longtime Folsom artist Brian Wallace created the artwork for the special, limited-edition 4-pack called "The Wild Ones," and the beer is being brewed by Red Bus Brewing Company, owned by Erik Schmid. A portion of the proceeds will support Friends of the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary. The 4-pack represents a thoughtful blending of art, hops and a big serving of goodwill thrown in. "The Wild Ones" 4-packs aim to not just raise funds for the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary but open more eyes to the unique symbol the sanctuary is in the community. The cans feature Kayli the Macaque, Grayson the Barn Owl, Lenore the Raven and Reggie the Raccoon. Wallace said the sanctuary has always held a special place in his heart; he regularly took his kids there when they were young. But it wasn't until he took a tour of the zoo last year when he learned the stories of each animal living there and gained a fresh perspective on what the sanctuary truly is: a series of stories about animals that were given a loving place to live out their lives. "The zoo is really cool because a lot of folks don't know that the animals that are at the zoo cannot live in the wild," said Wallace. "Whether they were kept as pets or injured so, with us as a community and all the open space and wildlife, it just makes perfect sense to have a sanctuary for animals that can't return to the wild. They aren't zoo animals, they're our neighbors." While the story of every animal at the zoo is compelling, Wallace said his favorite may be Grayson the Barn Owl, who is one subject in the 4-pack. "He had been gaining weight but he wasn't eating all his food. So they set up a camera and they found that another barn owl, a wild barn owl, was bringing food to Grayson at night," explained Wallace. "And so that became the inspiration behind what we called 'Midnight Visitor,' which is the can with Grayson, and it has a small mouse with a little ribbon tied around its neck on the can and there's an owl flying by with another mouse in its mouth with a ribbon around its neck." The 4-packs will feature the more popular brews at Red Bus: pilsner, pale ale, west coast IPA and hazy IPA. Yet Schmid said ultimately the focus of this project is not the beer, it's the message and the mission. According to city officials, the cost to operate the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary will be an estimated $2.5 million in 2026, with projected revenues of $925,500. This means the city expects to pay a subsidy of about $1.6 million, an unsustainable amount during a time when city officials are grappling with budget cuts and limiting spending. "I love animals, I especially love dogs. It's local, they're having a hard time, the city's having a hard time, so many things are on the chopping block," explained Schmid. "We know our effort here isn't going to bail out the zoo. But if we can raise awareness a little bit and have some fun with it and tell some cool stories, maybe we can open some people's eyes the same way it opened mine in terms of what it is and what it isn't." This is hardly the first time Wallace and Schmid have worked together; Wallace estimates he has worked with Schmid on more than 50 can designs over the years, but this project is unique and heavier in its significance. The Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary was established in 1963 to offer a safe haven to a bear cub named Smokey who was orphaned in a forest fire. Wallace said the spirit and legacy of the zoo's earliest mission lives on today. "I just think for us in this region there's nothing like the zoo sanctuary and I really do think it reflects on our community," said Wallace. "It's important because it's a thoughtful place, it's a compassionate place, and it's deeply connected to the nature that's all around us." While Schmid said he has always appreciated the sanctuary, like many people, he wasn't fully aware of what it represents until he took a tour like Wallace did, and learned the stories of the animals. "The concept of zoos for me is, if you entrap an animal just so people can watch them, I would be 100-percent against it," said Schmid. "But in this scenario, they're giving these animals a life and hopefully people can enjoy them too, and it seems people and the creatures all win." "These are animals that really can't return to the wild so they found a forever home at the zoo sanctuary," said Wallace. Pre-ordering has opened for the 4-packs: they can be purchased on the Red Bus Brewing Company website through Thanksgiving with pick-up in December. Pre-order at https://www.redbusbrew.com/gear Wallace has been involved with such projects as banners on light posts coming into Folsom, logos for the Folsom Ice Rink and Community Service Day and more. Wallace has also authored and illustrated the books "Winnie and Ruby's Folsom ABC Adventure" and "Daisy and the Dirty Dozen," a story about a mother duck and her babies that lived in his backyard. Find Wallace's art at BrianWallaceArt.com