The Great Greenfield DinoFest
Local Arts Local History Local Lizards (er . . . actually dinos are ancestors of birds :))
6th Annual Festival: Saturday & Sunday, December 10 & 11, 2022!
DinoFest, presented by Piti Theatre and PVMA, is a celebratory in-person and online series of performances, films, interactive exhibits and activities for children and more celebrating our local dinosaur footprints in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts and related history. Why? Because this is where the first scientific study in the world of dinosaur footprints took place! You can learn more on PVMA's award winning website "Impressions from a Lost World" . . . This year DinoFest will be a combo of in-person and streaming events.
Schedule: Saturday, December 10
"Night at the Deerfield Museum" at the Garden!
11 am: Doors open @ The Garden Theater, 361 Main Street,
11:15 - 11:45: Film Premiere: "Night at the Deerfield Museum" expands the lens of DinoFest to look at local history in Greenfield in the 1850's while the fossil discovery and dinosaur museum was going on. This year's film explores the life and times of Greenfield's John Putnam, a well known figure in town who owned a barbershop and was a popular square dance caller and musician. Putnam is now considered the "father of American square dance." Actors from the ages of 6 - 12 from around the region join Piti's team as actors alongside William Forchion (The Polar Express, The Bronx is Burning), Rodney Moore and Jonathan Mirin. Jurassic Roadshow's Sarah Doyle will also be in attendance for some informal fossil-gazing and Q&A along with Carol Aleman, local history expert and president of the Historical Society of Greenfield's Board of Trustees.
COVID PROTOCOLS FOR LAVA & THE GARDEN CINEMA
- Spaces are cleaned before the events
- If you are not feeling well, we ask that you stay home and enjoy the streaming version
- Masks are optional
Historical Society of Greenfield, 12:30 - 2 pm
Open for the public between 12:30 - 2, the Historical Society has a new exhibit devoted to Dexter Marsh and James Deane and the fossils they found. Check out the exhibit with the woman who created it - - none other than the Jurassic Roadshow's Sarah Doyle. 43 Church Street.
LAVA in the Afternoon: Fossil Sharing @ 2:30, Jurassic Jeopardy @ 3:00, Dino Improv @ 3:30, Once Upon a Dino @ 4!
2:30 – 3:00: Informal Fossil Q&A with Jurassic Roadshow's Sarah Doyle
3:00 – 3:30: Jurassic Jeopardy with special guest Kay Lyons featuring 30 dino-themed trivia questions and prizes.
3:30 – 4:00: Dino Improv – play improv games with Piti Theatre (recommended for ages 6 – 11).
4:15 – 4:45: "Once Upon a . . . Dino" – a preview performance of Piti Theatre's latest family audience show called "Once Upon a . . ." where two actors create a brand new story based on audience suggestions. This event will feature pre-historic themes and enormous guest stars.
Schedule: Sunday, December 11
Nope! Not a Dinosaur: Youth Led Webinar @ 4 pm
7:30 - 8:15 Night at the Deerfield Museum Live Stream + Q&A
If you couldn't go to "Night at the Deerfield Museum" in-person at the Garden, catch the stream on Zoom! Registration link coming soon.
Previous DInoFest Webinars
The Great Massachusetts Terrane Wreck
Why is the Connecticut River Valley so full of dinosaur footprints?
Presentation and Q&A by Steve Winters, Professor of Earth Science, Dept. of Environmental Science, Holyoke Community College
Incredible Feathered Dinosaurs of the Chinese Mesozoic
How were the skin and feathers of these fabulous dinosaurs preserved?
Presentation and Q&A by Dr. Paul Olsen, Storke Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Exploring Fossil Footprints with Living Birds
What can experiments with living animals tell us about extinct ones?
Presentation and Q&A by Dr. Stephen Gatesy, Professor of Biology, and Morgan Turner, PhD Candidate, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Brown University
Insects Invade Lakes in the Triassic and Jurassic
PaleoArt and the Track Pack
Artist Will Sillin discusses his Triassis-Jurassic museum murals
Ed Gregory shows his collection of Connecticut River Valley dinosaur footprint and other trace fossils
Harry Sharbaugh on fish fossils from the region
Mark Agostini on Joseph Barratt and his amazing ichnological gravestone and 3-D imaging
Interview and Q&A with Ed Friedman
Ed Friedman is Chair of Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, a Maine environmental group. Merrymeeting Bay is home to the Sea Lamprey which has been described as a "living fossil" as well as to the Atlantic Sturgeon - another pre-historic species that dates back to the time of the dinosaurs. Friedman is an organic farmer and beekeeper who has been involved in the environmental movement for five decades. He has worked from the arctic to Antarctica for among others, the US Fish & Wildlife Service and counts as a high point, the privilege of conducting research on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2010 he helped obtain the first smart meter opt-out program in the country from the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
DinoStory, Song & Mask-Making Time
Kay Lyons, regionally-loved Children’s Librarian from the Greenfield Public Library lead dinosaur storytime & songs followed by a dino mask making workshop. If you don't live in the Greenfield area and would like to participate, here are the suggested mask making materials:
- a paper plate
- scissors
- markers or crayons
- a hole punch
- plain or stretchy string or yarn
If you do live in the area and would like to pick up a "mask kit" from the Greenfield Public Library, you can do that on Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 10 - noon or Thursday, Dec. 4 from 4 - 6. Go to the children's area to pick up your kit!
Media From Previous DinoFests
Zoom Connectivity Best Practices!
For a more secure, faster and safer internet connection, use ethernet cable whenever possible and turn off the wi-fi on your computer and the router. Test drive before your webinar!
DinoMedia: Enjoy DinoFest content at Your Leisure
Thank You Sponsors!
Abide, Inc.
Cat and Crow
Catamount Traders & Catamount Storage
Community Yoga
Trolley Stop
Real Pickles
Katalyst Kombucha
Thank You Funders!
"Night at the Deerfield Museum" is part of the Exanding MA Stories Initiative of Mass Humanities funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council
"Night at the Deerfield Museum" video project is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
DinoFest 2022 is also supported in part by grants from the Greenfield and Leyden Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Special Thanks to the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce and the Greenfield Business Association.
Contact us about Sponsorship and Raffle Prize Donation Opportunities!
Want to volunteer? Become a Piti Theatre intern?
info"at"ptco.org