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The older, the better at Paleopalooza

Celebrate your love of the prehistoric during a two-day festival of fossils this weekend at the annual Paleopalooza at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

Budding paleontologists can hunt for fossils, meet paleontologists, andget dinosaur tattoos at Paleopalooza on Saturday and Sunday.
Budding paleontologists can hunt for fossils, meet paleontologists, andget dinosaur tattoos at Paleopalooza on Saturday and Sunday.Read moreWILL KLEIN
    by Monica Peters, For The Inquirer
    Published 

Celebrate your love of the prehistoric during a two-day festival of fossils this weekend at the annual Paleopalooza at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

Buddy the T-Rex from TV's Dinosaur Train will roam the halls - and so will another T-Rex, Eddy, the academy's mascot.

Visitors can meet paleontologists, see them at work, and get answers to questions on the festival's three floors of fossil fun. Kids can try juggling ancient artifacts while learning about them from fossil juggler Randy Lyons. Dance at noon and 2 p.m. with the Diggity Dudes and catch live animal shows featuring snakes, birds (dinosaur cousins), and some that have been around since the time of the Big Guys.

If you think this is the career for you, catch the interactive show to see whether you have what it takes. Paleontologist Ken Lacovara of Drexel University will show the technological advancements of 3D printing as it relates to paleontology. There will also be a Mesozoic Market with vendors where kids can have their faces painted, get dinosaur tattoos, and more.

Paleopalooza. Saturday and Sunday at the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Academy hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and holidays. Admission: $15.95 13 and older; $13.95 3-12, military, students with ID, and 65 and older. Children 2 and younger are free. Information: 215-299-1000 or www.ansp.org.

It's a musical education

PNC's Grow Up: Great Musical Theater program at the Kimmel Center on Saturday morning is aimed at the youngest future theater-goers.

Kids will be exposed to the best of American musical theater - classic melodies everyone should be able to hum. They - and their parents are invited to sing along with guest artists performing songs by such Broadway masters as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hammerstein.

PNC Grow Up Great: Musical Theater. 11 a.m. Saturday at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Commonwealth Plaza, 260 S. Broad St. Admission: Free. Information: 215-790-5800 or www.kimmelcenter.org/free.

Big top

It's the circus! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents "Circus Xtreme" through Monday at the Wells Fargo Center. From aerialists to camel riders, trampoline artists to clowns, bungee jumpers, and amazing trained animals, savor the tricks, flips, artistry, and daring that make the circus the circus. Be prepared for an entertaining journey that takes performing to a whole new level.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents "Circus Xtreme" through Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S. Broad St. Showtimes are 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 3, and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets: $15 to $130. Information: 215-336-3600. Purchase tickets through comcastTIX.com by calling 800-298-4200, or at the Wells Fargo Center box office.

mpeters@phillynews.com

    MP
    Monica Peters, For The Inquirer