ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Sarah Menard said she thinks she knows why, generation after generation, dinosaurs remain interesting and popular not only to children just discovering them, but adults, too.
“I think the thing that really sets dinosaurs apart is the fact that they were everywhere," said Menard, public relations and experience specialist for the traveling dinosaur show Jurassic Quest.
"It's such a clash of, like, fiction, fantasy and real science. Because these dinosaurs are real.""Safari Sarah" Menard, Jurassic Quest public relations and experience specialist
"I think our brains can’t really comprehend the fact of how much time there was with dinosaurs — how they ruled the earth.
“And the fact that we don’t see any of them now. It's such a clash of, like, fiction, fantasy and real science. Because these dinosaurs are real."
That clash of worlds comes to Ag Hall at Allentown Fairgrounds July 5-7, when Jurassic Quest, which bills itself as North America’s most popular interactive dinosaur event, returns to Allentown.
Tickets for the show, which runs noon-8 p.m. Friday, July 5; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, July 6; and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, July 7 are $22 and $36 and available at the door and on the Jurassic Quest website.
Using the Code JURASSIC15 when ordering tickets will save LehighValleyNews.com readers 15% — or $3.30 to $5.40.
Activities, fun — and education
In addition to a lifelike, scientifically accurate dinosaur herd (some that move and roar), the largest ridable dinosaurs in North America and "live dinosaur shows all day," Jurassic Quest will offer hands-on activities, education and fun.
There will be interactive science and art activities, including a giant fossil dig, and a real fossil exhibit featuring T-Rex teeth, a triceratops horn and a life-size dino skull.
There also will be a “Tricera-tots” soft play area for the littlest explorers, bounce houses and inflatable attractions and face-painting, photo opportunities and more.
"We like to call them 'a gateway science' because when people get interested in them, they don’t just get interested in how they look. They learn about geology. They learn about astronomy. They learn about all these different sciences, just from learning about dinosaurs."Safari Sarah" Menard, Jurassic Quest public relations and experience specialist
But the most important about the continuing intrigue of dinosaurs is that it ignites interest in the science surround them, said Menard, who in the Jurassic Quest world is known as Safari Sarah.
“So we like to call them 'a gateway science' because when people get interested in them, they don’t just get interested in how they look.
"They learn about geology. They learn about astronomy. They learn about all these different sciences, just from learning about dinosaurs.
“And I think that’s one of the most alluring parts — dinosaurs aren’t just one thing. As soon as you start looking into dinosaurs, you’ll pick up so much more than you intended."
Input from paleontologists
Jurassic Quest has been traveling for more than 10 years.
It was started by a family company whose owner "already had some touring shows, but they were, like, boat shows ... It was a business but it wasn’t solid," Menard said.
"He had kids at the time, and he wanted to find something was fun and a niche market that people connected to in a magical and explorative way," she said.
"And what better thing than dinosaurs — because no matter what age you are, when you were a kid, everyone loved or at least watched something about dinosaurs."
The problem, Menard said, was that, "as we grow up, we don’t really see dinosaurs anywhere except for movies and TV shows. So he wanted to bring dinosaurs in a way that was fun and fantastical — just like you see in the movies."
So Jurassic Quest worked with paleontologists "to make sure that we brought the scientific museum side to it," Menard said.
"We want to provide the educational side, too.”"Safari Sarah" Menard, Jurassic Quest public relations and experience specialist
"So people could come learn about dinosaurs and stand under a real-life-size dinosaur instead of a fake huge dinosaur, where they actually aren’t learning anything once they leave.
"We want to provide the educational side, too.”
They ensure each dinosaur is painstakingly replicated in every detail, including coloration, teeth size and textured skin, fur or feathers, "drawing on the latest research about how we understand dinosaurs looked and moved," according to the Jurassic Quest website.
"From the towering T. Rex to the sky-scraping Spinosaurus to learning about lesser-known species, intricate details and lifelike movements provide an unparalleled level of realism that captivates children and adults alike," the website states.
The evolution continues
Jurassic Quest started with just one singular traveling show.
"So it was really fun, it was really awesome, but we weren’t able to travel as much, because it was only one show," Menard said.
After she started with the company eight years ago, it launched a second show, and now has three touring shows and even goes to Canada twice a year, she said.
“So it’s really fun. It’s grown a ton and it’s cool to see how our fans evolved with us as our show evolves.”"Safari Sarah" Menard, Jurassic Quest public relations and experience specialist
“So it’s really fun," she said. "It’s grown a ton and it’s cool to see how our fans evolved with us as our show evolves.”
That evolution continues.
This year, new attractions will let kids face off against "the notoriously fast Jurassic Quest Utahraptors in Raptor Run races.
There's also Rope-a-Raptor, in which experienced “BrontoBusters” help kids lasso stray dinosaurs to lead them back to their pens.
Other highlights include an interactive Raptor Training Experience, in which visitors can meet and pet interactive baby dinosaurs Cammie the Camarasaurus, Tyson the T-Rex and Trixie the Triceratops.
There's also The Quest, a self-guided scavenger hunt-style activity in which budding paleontologists can become Junior Dinosaur Trainers and learn about dinosaurs and the time periods they inhabited on a fact-filled video tour.
Menard said that's probably her favorite activity.
"The virtual tour is really, really fun," she said. "It gives a narrative and a storyline to our dinosaur exhibit.
"Especially ‘cause kids love screens nowadays, you can actually just plop them in front of a screen in our exhibit and distract them by actually learning about these dinosaurs, and maybe a funny joke along the way," Menard said.
“And it’s a really fun backstory to the whole show as you watch the different videos going through.”
