Dinosaurs Unearthed Showcases at the Connecticut Science Center
Inhabitants of Hartford may have been puzzled by the recent arrival of a new feature along Columbus Boulevard. If you have not seen it yet, take a drive down to the corner of Grove and Columbus, where an animated dinosaur will greet you. The life-size model is a direction post to the Connecticut Science Center in downtown Hartford, where the current exhibit features “Dinosaurs Unearthed”. The exhibition is sponsored by Travelers and runs until the 2nd of September.
This remarkable exhibit is the brainchild and product of Dinosaurs Unearthed, a Canadian company with special skills in creating venue-specific traveling exhibits made to custom orders. Tracy Shirer, Director of Marketing and Public Relations of the Connecticut Science Center, said that up-to-date dinosaur research is captured in the exhibit of dinosaur replicas, which includes a selection of creatures that are likely to have inhabited the Connecticut region in prehistoric times.
Dinosaurs Unearthed Features 12 Life Size Animated Dinosaurs
The Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit incorporates a dedicated showroom, housing about twelve animated dinosaurs built to be life size, plus a selection of fossils and skeletons. The dinosaurs are recreated in a very realistic way, with lifelike movements, roaring and even breathing motion in the rib cages. In addition, a compilation of the sound of prehistoric dinosaurs fills the exhibition space; these were created using current research into ‘dino-sound’. Visitors are able to see and hear life-like replicas of the likes of Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Allosaurus, Shunosaurus and Stegosaurus.
Shirer explained that two dedicated technicians were provided by the Canadian company to assist with the setting up of the exhibit. She praised them for the work they have done, calling it a mixture of ecology and engineering, art and science – a real art form. Of the four tractor trailer trucks that transported the pieces of the exhibit during the ten days that it took to set it all up, Shirer said “It was like clockwork”. The process seemed seamless since the technicians had done this before and stuck to a specific plan.
Dinosaurs Unearthed is the Perfect Stay-cation Idea!
If you are staying home during this summer vacation you are well advised to include this exhibition on your list of field trips – it will appeal to anyone with a curiosity and fascination for dinosaurs. Be sure to catch the film “Flying Monsters 3D” as well, since it corresponds to the theme and provides an educational background. A visit to this ‘Land of the Lost’ will make you feel as though you have traveled far through time, and makes for the perfect adventure during your “stay-cation”.
For the duration of the exhibition there is an ongoing program of events and dinosaur days planned, so be sure to sign up for the newsletter at www.ctsciencecenter.org. This will inform you of admission fees, exhibits and events at the Connecticut Science Center. The physical address for the museum is 250 Columbus Road, Hartford, and the phone number is 860-science (724-3623). Let your prehistoric journey will begin with Dinosaurs Unearthed!
