Building the Dinosaur Den - Week 1

Day 1 - Finally the day is here! After many months of researching, planning, and sketching, we have begun the transformation of the Woodshop into a brand new exhibit space, The Prehistoric Pathway. What began last year as a small makeover of the upstairs hallway, has exploded into another whole room! The popularity of dinosaurs never wavers, and since we possessed another HUGE track that we wanted to display, this seemed like an obvious choice.

We have closed down the Woodshop before the Spruce-up to give us an extra week to get the new exhibit installed. The Museum will be closed Sunday, August 29 through Monday, September 13 for our annual event. We will open our doors Tuesday, September 14 all bright and shiny with many new changes for you to enjoy – most notably the prehistoric time travel that will occur on the top floor. It’ll be like you’ve blasted back in time, millions of years ago, to the age of these thunderous beasts, roaring and stomping through the lush landscape!

In the past few months you may have noticed the small steps that have already been taken to get The Prehistoric Pathway ready. A good friend of the Museum, carpenter Larry Mowatt, ripped down half the wall for an exploration alcove, and installed a glass panel in the door to give the room some much needed light. A fresh coat of paint on the ceiling and upper walls invigorated us and got us envisioning the bright, new exhibit.

Mark, our Exhibits Fabricator, has spent most of the spring making mock-ups and templates for the pieces that will go in the room. Once we all agreed on the room layout, Mark had to quickly get to work. Off to the lumberyard he went and picked out the large boards that he will make into a play table, a research area, a bench and a few other things he has up his sleeve. Mark is like a kid himself, so there is a lot of humor and sense of discovery in his designs. More than any other area of the Museum, this room will reflect that mindset.

As Mark is busy in the garage sawing and sanding, I am working on other things behind the scenes – mostly at my house. Today my kitchen became my work area as I wallpapered a large mural to some boards. It will function as a backdrop in the room and make you feel as though you are walking with dinosaurs! In my dining room I have a couple of other projects going on that are in various stages of completion. Paint cans, brushes, X-acto knives, cutting mats and drop cloths are scattered about. We only have three weeks to get it all done, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed. Well, I am at least. Mark doesn’t seem worried at all…

Since we have been boning up (sorry, but I had to use it) on our dinosaur facts, here’s a question for all you dino junkies out there. There are lots of different kinds of dinosaurs in all shapes and sizes. However, every dinosaur had three things in common. What are they?
I’ll give the answer in the next posting. Stay tuned!

Posted by Pam Borbély
Graphic Designer / Artist