Academy-Paleopalooza-Festival

Paleopalooza, an annual two-day festival of gigantic proportions, will be hosted at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 18 and 19.

Paleopalooza features rarely seen fossils from the Academy’s world-renowned collections as well as displays from the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society. Visitors will meet Academy scientists and learn what it’s like to reconstruct the past using fossils, imagination, and sound science. Hands-on activities, crafts, tours, and interactive presentations provide fun and learning for all ages.

Catch a live show with paleontologist Dr. Scott Sampson, star of the hit PBS children’s series “Dinosaur Train.” Join Dr. Scott for an all-ages presentation full of “Dinosaur Train” fun at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday. On Sunday at 3 p.m., see “Dr. Scott Sampson: New Discoveries,” a talk for the young adult and adult dinosaur enthusiast. Tickets to all the presentations must be purchased in advance. The fee is $7.50 per person. For more information and to purchase tickets, http://www.ansp.org/paleopalooza/advanced-non-members.php or call 215-229-1000.

Except for the “Dinosaur Train” presentations, all the other activities at Paleopalooza are free with museum admission. Here are just a few of the many activities to be enjoyed:

  • Watch as fossil preparators in the Fossil Prep Lab work to reveal a new species of Patagonian dinosaur.
  • Meet a 15-foot-long animatronic T-rex from Field Station: Dinosaurs.
  • Meet the people that make up the Academy’s Vertebrate Paleontology Department and see the fossils that they care for and study.
  • Take a guided tour of Dinosaur Hall. Tours begin at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.
  • Cheer on your favorite custom-made, hot-rod trilobite. Every 30 minutes starting at 10:30 a.m.
  • Learn about the fossil record and make your own fossil-inspired CD cover.
  • Play a paleontologist in the Big Dig.
  • Play Dinosaur CSI and solve a mystery that happened more than 65 million years ago.