The rain held off and the weather held up Friday evening for the Recreation and Parks Department’s first-ever Dino Dig at Devereux Beach. Children ages 5 and under became young paleontologists as they learned about the history of the ancient reptiles through interactive stations.
Recreation and Parks Event Coordinator Karla Strobel, who organizes events for children throughout the year, was the driving force behind the creation of Dino Dig. Online sign-up became available for the dig in June, and it quickly hit its 65-participant capacity. Strobel explained what inspired the idea for Dino Dig and why she was confident the children would really enjoy it.
“I have three young boys, and all of them are obsessed with dinosaurs,” Strobel said. “So are their friends and classmates. It seems like our beach lends itself well to digging and it’s a town property, so it brings everybody out during the summer.”
Once the kids received their dino-digging equipment, they headed over to the “Pangaea Dig Site,” where hundreds of miniature dinosaurs were ready to be discovered under the sandy surface. The “Raptor Nest” consisted of clay eggs that could be hatched at the “Excavation Station.” Inside the eggs were educational cards about various dinosaur species. The “Discovery Depot” had real and replica dinosaur artifacts on display. It was led by Strobel’s 10-year-old son, Nathan Megenedy, whose lesson included more than just fossils.
“This is a raptor claw, this is a megalodon tooth replica, this is a T-rex tooth replica, and this is real fossilized dino poop,” Megenedy explained.
After an hour of exploration, excavation, and fossilized feces, the children were treated to Italian ices.
Fielding Huddleston, 5, had been looking forward to the dig since he signed up. He expressed his satisfaction with the event in his dinosaur-themed T-shirt.
“I had so much fun,” Huddleston said. “My favorite part was the Raptor egg.”