This was my first “Dino Fest” and my first major event! There were 11,997 guests for “Dino Fest” weekend at the Natural History Museum Los Angeles County.
You prepare for the event. You make lists – water base paint, paint pumps, trays, sponges, smocks, wet wipes and oh yes Angie the Dinosaur! You think you have everything you need and then the gates open and the guests arrive. There you are ready or not. Well Angie and I were Ready.
DAY ONE:
It was Nonstop! Kids loved painting Angie and their Parents didn’t take much of a nudge to get into the act, as well. One Dad admitted he really wanted to paint the dinosaur, so I’m glad I encouraged him. Fortunately, I had a couple of extra Adult size smocks for the parents. There were teenagers whom you could tell from their expressions they really wanted to join in. But they held back thinking it wasn’t “cool” enough. What could be “COOLER” than painting a Dinosaur???
Moms and Dads gave pointers to their kids and many really got in there and painted Angie too! One Dad demonstrates the T-Rex head sponge while the kids paint (5th picture above). The lady with the brownish red hair and matching sweater also shares the name Angie and poses with Angie the “Augustynolophus” (last picture above).
DAY TWO:
Well Angie certainly gained some color on her first day. I gave her a little bath so the kids could start fresh for day two. My apron reflects some of the first day’s colors even after a wash the night before! The Museum provided a tarp for Day Two. It reduced the sponge’s chances of getting covered in sand when dropped accidentally.
For Day Two my nephew Mark, niece April and grand-niece Katheryn came to lend a hand with All the Fun! Kids and Parents continue to have fun with Angie. Everyone has their own style. One very young man took the green sponge carefully applied paint in three places and he was done! A minimalist! And Yes, many opted out of using the sponges and went straight to using their hands. A very young lady dipped her finger tips in turquois, tapped Angie with her fingers making several sets of turquois dots – beautiful – and then quickly smeared all the paint together. Oh well, some artists are never really satisfied with their work. No time limits where set so everyone was free to spend as much or as little time with Angie as they liked. It was such Fun, we even had Return Visitors!
While the kids painted, I advised everyone what I did and all about Angie the “Augustynolophus” now California’s Official State Dinosaur. A “Duck-Billed” Hadrosaur “Augustynolophus morrisi” named in 2014 by a team of scientists including the NHMLA’s Dinosaur Institute Director Luis Chiappe. Commonly referred to as “Auggie”. This Dinosaur has only been found in California. In addition, these fossils represent the most complete dinosaur skeleton ever found in California. This a rare find indeed, due to most of California being covered by the ocean in the late Cretaceous period.
The two fossils were discovered during fieldwork conducted from 1939 – 40 by the California Institute of Technology and are now on display at the NHMLA’s Dinosaur Hall. One specimen was found in Fresno County in the Moreno Formation, near the center of California. The other in San Benito County. Augustynolophus lived 66 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period with Dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops.
The name Augustynolophus morrisi honors Californians, Dr. William Morris and Mrs. Gretchen Augustyn. Dr. Morris (1923 – 2000) was a geologist and paleontologist responsible for many of the dinosaur discoveries along the western coast of North America. Mrs. Augustyn is a long-time support of scientific and educational programs at NHMLA.
It was originally believed this dinosaur belong to an already-known species, but careful study revealed a “vastly different” cranial structure. As a result, a new Dinosaur!
There were many activities during the “Dino Fest” Weekend, Dino Tots Story Time, Live Animal Presentations, Musical Performances by “The Amoeba People”, Paleo Chats with a real Paleontologist, Dino Encounters with life size dinosaur puppets, Dinosaurs in the Media – discussions & movies, Dig Pit Excavations (they were close to my tent), Jurassic Park Motor Pool – replica vehicles from the movies with a couple of animatronic baby triceratops, Plaster Disasters – how fossils are prepare in the field to bring back to the Museum and even Paleo Artists! And this doesn’t cover all the regular activities that were going on at the Museum!
I’ve created an Events page. I would be happy to post Pictures of Your Adventures at “Dino Fest”. Please send them to paul@paulsprehistoricpark.com
If you missed it this time, mark your calendars right now to look for the date next September. In the interim, I hope you enjoy the bits I’ve shared here.
So, David Bromstad of “COLOR SPLASH” on HGTV, Do You Want to Paint a Dinosaur?
“Encouraging the Appreciation of Art & Education through the Inspiration of Dinosaurs”
Paul & Prehistoric Pals
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