Topeka to once again be ‘Topikachu’ for one day

Topeka on Saturday will again be known as “Topikachu” for a day.

Mayor Michelle De La Isla read a proclamation at Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting announcing the temporary move, which will take effect on a day when Nintendo will provide the public a free preview opportunity to play two new Pokémon games for the Nintendo Switch. The “Pokémon Let’s Go Road Trip” experience will be offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Topeka Zoo at Gage Park.

Festivities planned for Saturday at the zoo are welcome news “for nerds like me who play Pokémon Go,” De La Isla said.

The Pokémon Go game uses augmented reality to place virtual tools and creatures at indoor and outdoor locations, where players use their smartphones to find the tools and capture the creatures.

The experience being offered Saturday in Topeka will be made available to the public in only seven other cities: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Seattle and San Francisco.