From now through the first weekend in April, Harrison County Parks and Recreation, along with the Harrison County Commission, will host its annual dinosaur exhibit at the Recreation Complex located on Rt. 19 South just outside of Clarksburg. The free event is open to the public on Saturday and Sundays from noon until 6 p.m.

 

“This is the backbone of the enrichment programs we offer at the facility,” relates Deputy Director Doug Comer. “We budgeted $30,000 for the exhibit and I feel we definitely received more than its worth. The exhibit has lots of new faces and of course we brought back plenty of the fan favorites including the T-Rex, who comes about from a 3-year retirement.”

 

Throughout the week, the department hosts school field days where kids throughout Harrison County come for classroom activities including crafts, dinosaur digs and even virtual reality. Comer and Director Mike Book handles the majority of the classroom discussions about the history of the fossils, but the kids do get some activities that goes beyond the classroom as Comer explains.

 

“This is a fun time for Mike (Book) and myself as we really get deep into the research of the fossils on hand. Little fun facts that kids want to hear and of course we let the kids handle many of the smaller fossils we have. We have always offered a dino dig where kids could look for fossils in our make-shift pits including pieces of Megalodon teeth and other ocean fossils. And, through the help of technology, we added some virtual reality machines for the kids to put on and watch dinosaurs up close. The kid’s reactions while they watch the dinosaurs get close to them is priceless,” said Comer.

 

Again, admission to the exhibit is free of charge and families can expect to see the same fossils from the Smithsonian and Carnegie Mellon museums.

 

During the week, the facility is reserved only for the field day events. However, organizations are encouraged to contact the facility about some evening events like the Boy Scouts, Senior Centers or any other type of group that would like to take a tour of the facility. 

 

For information, contact the facility at 304-423-7800.

 

Editor's Note: Photos courtesy of Harrison County Parks and Recreation and Doug Comer.