Sue's stay nears end
After Sunday night, the chance to see a Tyrannosaurus rex in Anniston will go extinct. The Anniston Museum of Natural History's "A T. rex Named Sue" exhibit closes Sunday. Sue will be packed up and moved to Tennessee next week. In the age of the dinosaurs, tyrannosaurs left giant footprints when they walked through soft ground. Sue has left an imprint on the Anniston museum as well. Museum director Cheryl Bragg said almost 60,000 people have visited the museum since Sue opened, doubling the staff's initial goal of 30,000 guests. More than 450 families have become members during the time. The visitors came from 39 states, including California, Massachusetts, Washington and Alaska. "People love dinosaurs, and that has been reinforced to us with this exhibit," said Bragg. Robin Groesbeck, director of exhibitions for The Field Museum in Chicago, who coordinates Sue's tour around the country, praised the work of the Anniston museum staff and said the number of visitors was excellent. "Sue is magnetic for people," Groesbeck said. "She seems to really resonate with children and families." Groesbeck was glad to have 60,000 new dinosaur fans. "Whenever we can get people interested in science, that's a good thing," she said. Sue will have a few days off before going on exhibit at the Gray Fossil Museum in Johnson City, Tenn. from Jan. 19 to April 27. From there, Sue is headed to City of Faith, S.D.; Edinburg, Texas; McKinney, Texas, and Redding, Calif. Bragg said the success of Sue's exhibit was an important benchmark for the museum. "It's proven to us that we can do really large exhibits, because we were nervous about this," she said. She said Birmingham resident Rick Halbrooks, who loaned the museum his stegosaurus skeleton to accompany Sue, has decided to donate the stegosaurus to the museum permanently. Bragg said one of the goals for the Sue exhibit was to raise seed money for new exhibits, though the staff has not decided what the next big exhibit will be. This summer, the museum will have the wildlife art of Guy Coheleach on display beginning May 31. Next door, The Berman Museum will bring in "The Working White House" exhibit from the Smithsonian, opening on March 21, 2009. "We can't sit idle," Bragg said. "We'll be out looking for our next exhibit." The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and Saturday, and will be open from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The museum will be closed from Jan. 7 to Jan.12, when it will reopen at 10 a.m. If you go • Friday, Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. • Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. • $8 adults $6 children. • The museum will be closed Jan. 7-12. |
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