April Vacation at Dinosaur State Park

STATE OF CONNECTICUT                                                          

Further Information Contact: Meg Enkler (860) 529-8423

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION                                        

                                                                        April 5, 2011

 Spring Vacation Weeks at Dinosaur State Park

April 16, 17^th and April 19-24^th, 2011

(Museum closed Monday April 18th)

 The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill will sponsor a series of programs for families during April school vacation weeks. 

 The programs include:

• View a Film:  Three different films are shown each day.  There are seven show times beginning at 10:00 a.m.  Last showing begins at 3:30 p.m.
• Make a craft: A craft area will be open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Meet the park’s animals.  There will be animal demonstrations daily at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  Weather permitting; a guided nature walk may be substituted for the animal demonstration.
• Track Talks will be held daily at 11:30 a.m.  A staff member will answer questions about the tracks and discuss what Connecticut was like in the early Jurassic period.
• Mining for gems and fossils –The very popular mining area will reopen on Saturday April 9th (weather permitting).  There is a materials fee to participate.

All special programs are included with your admission.  Adults (13 and up) are $6, Youth (6-12) are $2 and children under 6 are free. 

The park accepts MasterCard, Visa and Discover.  Charter Oak Passes are available for seniors (65 and over) who are Connecticut residents.  Picture ID must be presented to acquire a pass.

Special Programs

 Ask-A-Geologist, Thursday April 21 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. The park’s geologist will be on hand to identify rock, mineral or fossil specimens from your collections.

Celebrate Earth Day at the Park on April 22  The park will sponsor a “Modern Dragons” show featuring live lizards at 11:00 and 12:30 p.m. Seating is limited to 100 per show.  Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the show. 

Dinosaur Egg Hunt April 24 at 2:00 p.m. The park will sponsor a dinosaur egg hunt for children under 12.  The hunt will take place outside on the lawn, please bring your own basket.

The special programming and crafts during school vacation weeks are sponsored by the Friends of Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum.

For more information, call the park at (860) 529-5816 or visit our website at www.ct.gov/dep/dinosaurstatepark.

Press release was posted, unaltered, by Patch as received by the DEP.