Trenton Hogan (right), 9, of Bowling Green, shares a laugh Sunday, December 10, 2017, with Steve Martin, of Greenville, dressed as Santa Claus, during the annual Reindeer Encounter at Lost River Cave. High temperatures reached 45 degrees with clear skies for the event. Monday's forecast calls for a high in the mid-50s with mostly sunny skies. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

Lost River Cave’s annual Reindeer Encounter is scheduled for Dec. 7-8 and will feature Santa, Mrs. Claus and Prancer.

“We have a direct line to the North Pole and are so grateful to Santa, Mrs. Claus and Prancer for making a special trip to Bowling Green at this busy time of year,” Lost River Cave Director of Development Katie Cielinski said.

The event will include “pictures with Santa, activities for the kids and hot chocolate to keep everyone warm as we celebrate the holidays in the great outdoors,” a news release from Lost River Cave said.

While it will be a festive event for families, it’s also designed to be educational. While waiting to take photos with Santa and meet Prancer, children will “learn about the differences between deer, reindeer, elk and moose; touch pelts to discover how and why they are different; and even get to hold real reindeer antlers to see just how heavy they are,” the news release said.

“One of the goals of the Reindeer Encounter is to give our community a great reason to get outdoors to connect with nature and each other even when it’s cold outside,” Cielinski said.

Proceeds from the event will go toward upholding Lost River Cave’s mission of educating and supporting low-cost nature education in southcentral Kentucky.

“Since 2011, Lost River Cave has given 25,000 educational experiences to children, expanding their knowledge, building their confidence and helping them become more connected to the natural world,” the Lost River Cave website said.

Reindeer Encounter has become a classic holiday event in Bowling Green and tickets are quick to go, Cielinski said.

Tickets will be released in two batches. The first will be released Nov. 15 at 11 a.m., and the second will be released Nov. 16 at noon. Tickets are only available online at lostrivercave.org/reindeer.

Only children need tickets.

Tickets for members of Lost River Cave are $7. Non-member tickets are $10.