The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will host Paleopalooza, its annual dinosaur-themed festival, Feb. 18 and 19, featuring a live show and separate seminar with paleontologist Scott Sampson of the popular PBS children’s show “Dinosaur Train.”
Sampson will be available for an all-ages presentation of “Dinosaur Train” on both days of the two-day festival, and he will also have a special talk Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. titled “Dr. Scott Sampson: New Discoveries,” which is geared toward a more mature audience of people interested in dinosaurs. The auditorium show is by ticket only and costs $5 for Academy members and $7.50 per ticket for nonmembers.
Academy members can also buy tickets at $20 per person to have breakfast with Sampson and the star of “Dinosaur Train,” Buddy the T-Rex, on 8:30 a.m. both days.
The two-day event will also have a focus on other dinosaur-themed activities, as rarely seen fossils from the Academy’s world-renowned collections will be on display in addition to ones from the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society.
Visitors will also meet with Academy scientists and representatives from the Academy’s Vertebrae Paleontology Department to see and learn more about fossils in a hands-on way. Additionally, the fossil preparators of the Fossil Prep Lab will be on hand to reveal a new species of Patagonian dinosaur. Guided tours of the Academy’s Dinosaur Hall will also be available during this event.
Paleopalooza attendees will also be able to partake in various hands-on activities, crafts, tours and interactive presentations for dinosaur enthusiasts young and old. For extra laughs, a professional juggler will be roaming around the museum juggling fossils.
Except for the “Dinosaur Train” presentations, all the other activities at Paleopalooza are free with museum admission. The presentation of “Dinosaur Train” will show at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on the 18th, and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the 19th.