Thousands turn out for dinosaurs in Texarkana
While dinosaurs haven’t ruled the earth for ages, they nevertheless ruled a 40,000 square-foot building in Texarkana, Texas, during this past weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, the My Jurassic Adventure attracted an estimated 5,000 adult dinosaur enthusiasts as well as an estimated 7,000 child dinosaur fans to their event, said Mortada Aldi, the company’s events coordinator.
“This event gives both kids and adults interested in dinosaurs and other pre-historic life, the chance to actually see the way dinosaurs may have actually moved as well hear the way they may have actually
sounded,” Aldi said Sunday afternoon. “I would say that the kids we’ve seen range in age from kindergartners to high school age.”
The event also attracted both parents and grandparents ranging from their 20s to their 60s.
Fifth-grader Charles Todd said he’s been interested in dinosaurs for years now.
“I’ve loved studying dinosaurs ever since getting a chance to see the Jurassic Park movies,” he said. “It’s our second time to visit here this weekend.”
Robert Brinkman, a 60-year-old electrician from Minden, La., who brought both his wife and granddaughter to the event, said this wasn’t his first time to see dinosaur replicas.
“I remember being in Glen Rose, Texas, back in the 1980s,” he said, “The Glen Rose area had two life-size dinosaur replicas made out of clay or plaster in their town’s park.”
Throughout the two-day adventure, dinosaur studiers and gazers got to hear and view these giant pre-historic animatronic reptiles as well as indulge in hands-on interactive exhibits and mock fossil digs inside the former Toys “R” Us building near Central Mall.
Aldi added that My Jurassic Adventure may consider making annual future stops in Texarkana, depending on the weather, season and crowd sizes.
“Right now, summer seems to be the best time to visit here in Texarkana— especially with school being out,” Aldi said. “For years and years and years, people have heard about dinosaurs and read about them. Now people get a chance to actually see what dinosaurs may have been like.”