The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles had a record crowd of 13,597 for the 3rd Annual Dino Fest Weekend! First, I would like to Thank All the Museum Staff for making Our Place in the Garden the Perfect Painting Spot for “Angie”, the Augustynolophus. Also Special Thanks to my Volunteers from CA State Northridge – CSUN! Valeria, Alison, Noreen, Ivania & her husband Marcos and Crystal with help at packing up from her brother Michael. Valeria, Alison, Ivania & Crystal are from CSUN’s Educational Department earning their Teaching Credentials! They All were Fantastic with the Kids & Parents and I couldn’t have done this without them.
It was Nonstop! Kids loved painting Angie and their Parents didn’t take much of a nudge to get into the act, as well. I had plenty of extra Adult size smocks for the Parents. There were teenagers whom you could tell from their expressions really wanted to join in but held back probably thinking it wasn’t “cool” enough. What could be “COOLER” than Painting a Dinosaur???
Valeria – Helping the Kids and Parents with their, aprons & clean-up, as well as keeping the aprons clean for the next user.
Alison – Often a Blur in the Blue T-Shirt. If not for my high-speed camera you probably wouldn’t see Alison at all!
Parents & their Children had a Great Time Painting Angie, Learning about the Augustynolophus, the Color of Dinosaurs and the Activities & Adventures of other Prehistoric Pals at the Park.
Augustynolophus is 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 about 30 feet in length, 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!
Special Thanks to JT the Manager of the Camarillo Home Depot for Donating the 4 Buckets that provided wash water for the painters throughout the weekend. I couldn’t tell you how many times we changed the water. Fortunately, the Museum has a water filtration system to take care of the grey water. I’m sure we put their system to the test this weekend. It was a Great First Day. Check out the Day Two post.
So, David Bromstad of “COLOR SPLASH” on HGTV, Do You Want to Paint a Dinosaur?
“Encouraging the Appreciation of Art and Education through the Inspiration of Dinosaurs”
Paul & Prehistoric Pals
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