Fossil Site celebrates anniversary
Museum sees more than double expected number of visitors
Joseph Hutchins
Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: News
In its first year of existence, ETSU and General Brick Shale Natural History Museum at the Gray Fossil Site had more than double the number of visitors expected and has some expansion plans under way to help accommodate them all.
There was a lot to celebrate on the museum's Sunday, Aug. 31, anniversary celebration, which itself brought in a crowd of about 400 visitors lured in part by half-price general admission, raffle prizes like fossilized turtles and free backpacks given away by museum sponsor Saturn Motor Co.
In its first year, 25,000 visitors and at most 50,000 visitors were expected, but as director Jeanne Zavada, noted, "we passed that mark (50,000) some time back," and "finished the first year with 115,000 visitors."
For year two, Zavada is aiming at a projected 150,000 visitors.
Special exhibits in the first year were equally intriguing. Those included Sue, the traveling T-rex exhibit, the soft-hearted "Scoop on Poop" exhibit based on a book by Dr. Wayne Lynch, which also brought the first live animals to the museum.
Another prize display is a full skeletal cast of a Red Panda, found at the Gray site. The cast is the only one in the world of its kind, Zavada noted.
And the real Red Panda skeleton, which was found in the "spoil pile," the large collection of soil and sediment that was dug during the construction of the Museum itself, is at almost 70 percent completion.
There are touch-screen computers which allow for visitors to digitally take part in archeological work. The computer touch screens let visitors clean off fossils and rocks simulating what actual archeologists actually do when they use a number of brushes, knives and other devices to clean up the bones and teeth of ancient animals. The touch screens had been out of service for some time and Zavada noted how the original vendor was unable to fix this problem and that she was "very happy" that a new vendor came through and fixed the touch screen problem.
A major construction addition project that is being funded federally through grants by the Department of Transportation is already in the works. It will be a 6,000-square-foot annex that will feature a "wet lab" which allows visitors to get involved in even more hands-on educational and entertaining activities, Zavada said.
There was a lot to celebrate on the museum's Sunday, Aug. 31, anniversary celebration, which itself brought in a crowd of about 400 visitors lured in part by half-price general admission, raffle prizes like fossilized turtles and free backpacks given away by museum sponsor Saturn Motor Co.
In its first year, 25,000 visitors and at most 50,000 visitors were expected, but as director Jeanne Zavada, noted, "we passed that mark (50,000) some time back," and "finished the first year with 115,000 visitors."
For year two, Zavada is aiming at a projected 150,000 visitors.
Special exhibits in the first year were equally intriguing. Those included Sue, the traveling T-rex exhibit, the soft-hearted "Scoop on Poop" exhibit based on a book by Dr. Wayne Lynch, which also brought the first live animals to the museum.
Another prize display is a full skeletal cast of a Red Panda, found at the Gray site. The cast is the only one in the world of its kind, Zavada noted.
And the real Red Panda skeleton, which was found in the "spoil pile," the large collection of soil and sediment that was dug during the construction of the Museum itself, is at almost 70 percent completion.
There are touch-screen computers which allow for visitors to digitally take part in archeological work. The computer touch screens let visitors clean off fossils and rocks simulating what actual archeologists actually do when they use a number of brushes, knives and other devices to clean up the bones and teeth of ancient animals. The touch screens had been out of service for some time and Zavada noted how the original vendor was unable to fix this problem and that she was "very happy" that a new vendor came through and fixed the touch screen problem.
A major construction addition project that is being funded federally through grants by the Department of Transportation is already in the works. It will be a 6,000-square-foot annex that will feature a "wet lab" which allows visitors to get involved in even more hands-on educational and entertaining activities, Zavada said.
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