As The Dinosaur Place Marks 10 Years, The DinoMights Take The Stage

Midway through the ceremony marking the 10th year that the Dinosaur Place has been in Montville, an ominous grumbling came from across the pond. The seemingly dormant volcano began to belch smoke and then exploded ash and steam high into the air—much to the delight of onlookers.

The eruption came courtesy of Lady Lava, a member of the new team of DinoMight superheroes enlisted by The Dinosaur Place in order to educate and entertain the visitors. Lava was joined by her contemporaries Jurassic Joe and Ranger Rex. All three demonstrated their powers to the crowd - powers that ranged from Lava’s ability to control volcanic eruptions to Joe’s ability to bring fossils to life and then Rex’s choice of mount: you guessed it—a small Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Other visitors to the ceremony included Mayor Joe Jasckiewicz, State Rep. Kevin Ryan, Councilors Ellen Hillman, Candy Buebendorf, and Billy Caron, as well as Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut President Tony Sheridan.

Standing atop a flatbread trailer with a 30-foot dinosaur behind, Rick Roberts, the operations manager at Dinosaur Place, emceed the ceremony.

“It has now been 10 years that the shops at Nature’s Art and The Dinosaur Place have been in operation and we’re roaring strong,” he told the audience of kids and parents.

He told the story of the owners Roger and Linda Phillips, who opened the “Nature’s Art” shop in Salem Four Corners back in 1992 before they started The Dinosaur Place at the new location in 2001, “No one could have imagined, other than Roger and Linda and the Phillips family, that what was once a small, country store could become this beautiful natural showcase.”

Mayor Jasciewicz also praised the Phillipses, for being a strong local business in town. “We in the town of Montville really appreciate what they’ve done,” he said. “No, I am not one of the new members,” Jasckiewicz told the audience, joking that he was not in fact going to be Jurassic Joe.

The Dinosaur Place also received praise from Ryan, who acknowledged them for raising money for the local mentoring group, Big Brother’s/Big Sisters in this year’s 12 Dinosaurs of Christmas event.

The young audience came alive when the DinoMights took the stage. Afterwards, the new superheroes were there to sign autographs and be photographed with fans. Later, in the afternoon, each DinoMight would lead kids on an expedition along the trails in back where there are currently 40 life-size dinosaur replicas.

“”It’s not really a guided tour. It’s meant to be entertainment,” said Rick Roberts, explaining the DinoMight’s role at the park.

The weekend before Easter, the Dinosaur place will be unveiling its newest DinoMight, Monty Jr.—a smaller counterpart to the massive Rex in the parking lot. The main event will be a hunt for dinosaur Easter eggs.