Community Corner

Dinosaur State Park Celebration, Norwalk Dinosaur Summer Extinction

In this tale of two Connecticut dinosaur sites, it was the best of Dinosaur State Park days, and it was soon to be the end of days for dinosaur robots in Norwalk. (Read Norwalk Patch for all your latest Connecticut Dinosaur news.)

Prehistoric creatures will once again rule Rocky Hill during this Saturday, and less than three weeks from now, the Dinosaur Summer exhibit at the is due to go the way of the dodo—yes, extinction looms.

At the Norwalk aquarium, "the exhibit will definitely become extinct at the end of the day Sept. 5—Labor Day," according to Chris Loynd, the aquarium's marketing director.

The aquarium exhibit examines "how quickly young dinosaurs would grow, how big they got, what they ate and how they were protected from danger," according to a news release from the Maritime Aquarium. "It explores these concepts by pairing young and adult dinosaurs of four species. ... The dinosaurs move, roar—even blink their eyes—in realistic fashion."

Find out what's happening in Norwalkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"But they're fully lighted—not dark and scary—in an educational dinosaur exhibit fit for even the youngest visitor," the statement promises. "An extra 'cut-away' T-rex offers a peek inside a robotic dinosaur, so kids can see how it works and even control it. And an outdoor 'fossil dig' has been entertaining budding paleontologists."

There is no extra charge for the Dinosaur Summer exhibit for all aquarium ticket holders. Aquarium tickets cost $12.95 for adults, $11.95 for seniors over 65, and $9.95 for children from 2 to 12 years old.

Find out what's happening in Norwalkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For more information, see the aquarium's website.

In Rocky Hill, Dinosaurs Live on

The Rocky Hill event, which is hosted by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and , marks the 45th anniversary of the discovery of dinosaur tracks in the town in central Connecticut. In 1966, a bulldozer operator discovered the footprints of about 2,000 Jurassic era dinosaurs, according to the release.

Dinosaur lovers will be treated to a wide variety of free activities outside the museum including:

• Arts and Crafts

• Costumed Characters

• Games

• Guided Nature Walks

• Face painting

• Live Animal Demonstrations (“Snakes Alive!” and the “Live Bird Program”)

• Musical Entertainment

Visitors can enjoy the outdoor events from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and walk the hiking trails from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Children will also be able to mine for gems and fossils for a small fee. 

People can make their own footprint cast and take it home with them. The casting area will be open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Inside the , there are 600 footprints, exhibits, science films and discussions. Parents and children can enjoy the coloring area, bookmark making station, live animals, interactive fossil boxes and geology displays inside the discovery room.

The price of admission to the museum is $6 for ages 13 years old and older, $2 for children between the ages of 6 and 12 and free for children five and under.

Guests can purchase food and beverage at the museum or they can bring their own and have a picnic in the shaded area of the park.

For more information, call (860) 529-5816 or visit their website.

If all else fails

And if you should miss both the Dinosaur Days celebration and the end of the Dinosaur Summer exhibit? There's always the Great Hall with a huge mural and dinosaur skeletons at the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven.

In New York City, meanwhile, the American Museum of Natural History has its own permanent collection of dinosaur skeletons and an ongoing exhibit, "The World's Largest Dinosaurs," which runs until Jan. 2, 2012 (see videos here).


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