Dinosaurs are taking over Red Deer this weekend.
Jurassic Quest, a travelling show that features life-size dinosaurs, began at Westerner Park’s Exhibition Hall on Friday and continues all weekend.
“We’re thrilled to be here in Red Deer,” said “Brainy Beth,” a dinosaur trainer with Jurassic Quest.
The event takes about two days to set up, Beth noted.
“We actually work very closely with palaeontologists to make sure they are as historically accurate as humanly possible. It’s quite a sight … to see these guys coming into the exhibit halls and everything. It’s an amazing process.”
On top of the dinosaurs on display, including the spinosaurus, T-Rex and a 50-foot megladon, attendees can interact with baby dinosaurs and become a dinosaur trainer themselves through a raptor training experience.
“We try to keep it magical,” Brainy Beth said, adding the primary focus of the event is the educational aspect.
“One of our favourite things about Jurassic Quest is that we have a fossil table for instance, where kids can go and get education, and we have some real fossils as well.”
There is also a Dino-411 line, which allows attendees to connect with fossil experts to learn more about dinosaurs.
“I love watching families come through the exhibit and learn something about their favourite dinosaurs that maybe they didn’t know,” said Brainy Beth.
“It is a fantastic gateway science. It can lead to things like astronomy, biology – really any of the other sciences. And who doesn’t love dinosaurs?”
Jurassic Quest is an American-based company that travels to locations throughout North America. Interested families should consider buying tickets sooner rather than later, Brainy Beth said.
“You do have to ask fast. We are flying off of the shelves like pterosaurs with our tickets, so please be sure to go to www.jurassicquest.ca to pick those up before we migrate to our next city, which is Moose Jaw,” she said.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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