Ask any kid. Go ahead. They'll tell you that the coolest science thing, or museum thing or the most fun education thing anywhere, is dinosaurs.
And once upon a time, as the saying goes, dinosaurs were everywhere. It was about 65 million years ago — you can tell the kids this was before the internet — dinosaurs died off.
And it was about 35 years ago that a science fiction writer Michael Crichton wrote what would become an iconic story, Jurassic Park. It didn't take off right away, but soon enough it became a movie and Jurassic Park just re-introduced the fun and excitement of dinosaurs to a couple of new generations.
It's happening again. This time in Sudbury.
Dinosaur Discoveries: A Passport Through Time is the name of the special travelling exhibition and the new show in Sudbury marks the world premier of the exhibit, said Ashley Larose, the chief executive officer of Science North.
The show had an official opening Friday morning with a full roster of Science North leaders, bluecoats, VIPs and the wildly happy class of Grade Sixers from MacLeod Public School who were the first local students to see the exhibit up close.
Larose said the exhibit is so big — dinosaur-sized one might say — it has to be displayed in both science venues in the city: Science North and Dynamic Earth.
“We actually had to spread it between both sites because there are so many amazing topics to cover,” Larose said. “And so we're proud to offer unique dinosaur-themed animatronic experiences at both our sites. Science North worked with Dinosaurios Mexico, who create among the best animatronic dinosaurs in the world, accurately representing what we believe these dinosaurs would have looked like, based on paleontological research.
“In addition, there are accurate cast skeleton models provided by Research Casting International, an Ontario-based company who are world leaders in creating exact resin cast models of discovered fossilized remains."
Also speaking to the excited audience was Jim Lundrigan, the chair of Science North's board of trustees, who said he had witnessed the excitement building up in Sudbury in recent days because of photos posted to social media. Lundrigan said Science North continues to inspire that kind of excitement across Northern Ontario.
"Science North's vision is to be the leader in engaging audiences with entertaining, educational and inclusive science experiences. Hosting exhibitions like this one is key to inspiring all people to interact with science and the world around them," he said.
Greater Sudbury deputy mayor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann brought greetings on behalf of the city and said Science North continues to inspire citizens of any age.
"Thank you to Science North for continuing to surprise us with unique, innovative and immersive opportunities that allow us to learn about science at any age. Thank you for providing another show stopping experience for both residents and visitors of Greater Sudbury."
The Dinosaur Discoveries exhibit will be on display until Sept. 4, Labour Day.
Len Gillis covers health care and mining for Sudbury.com.