News

Worcester, Mass. – September 12, 2018 – “Uncle Beazley,” an 11-foot-long fiberglass model of a Triceratops dinosaur, weighing approximately 200 pounds, joins longtime model resident Siegfried the stegosaurus at the EcoTarium museum of science and nature on Thursday, September 13, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. He arrives as a gift from the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA where he was regularly on view as part of the Museum’s Dinosaurs and Paleontology exhibition from 1980 through 2014. Created in the mid-1960s by Louis Paul Jonas – the same creator as Siegfried – the famous Worcester resident since 1964. Uncle Beazley joins Siegfried at the EcoTarium’s lower entrance and will reside permanently on the plaza.

“What an exciting delight to welcome a model like Uncle Beazley to the EcoTarium,” shared EcoTarium President Lucy Hale. “Dinosaurs are a hook for so many kids, igniting their passion for science and discovery. Uncle Beazley’s addition to Siegfried’s home expands opportunities for our community to deeply connect with this important and fun topic.”

Uncle Beazley is the largest of six models made by Louis Paul Jonas Studio that were used in the National Broadcasting Co. production The Enormous Egg, a television adaptation of Oliver Butterworth’s 1956 book by the same name. In the story, a boy discovers a huge egg which hatches into a baby Triceratops, which he names Uncle Beazley. The five smaller models were donated to the Berkshire Museum in 1979 by George A. Heinemann, the producer of the show. According to his official Wikipedia webpage, the triceratops also spent a few decades planted in front of the National Museum of Natural History on the National Mall in Washington D.C.

Most recently, Uncle Beazley had been on loan to the Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield’s Public Library, on display in a courtyard adjacent to the children’s section. Staff from the Berkshire and EcoTarium museums collaborated to ensure Uncle Beazley’s safe transportation and re-homing. The two dinosaur models represent herbivorous animals from the Cretaceous and late Jurassic periods.

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About the EcoTarium
EcoTarium is New England’s leading museum of science and nature, an indoor-outdoor experience dedicated to inspiring a passion for science and nature in visitors of all ages. Founded in 1825, it has been a leader in informal science and nature education for nearly 200 years, and today welcomes more than 175,000 visitors per year. Highlights of the 45-acre campus include a museum building with three floors of interactive exhibits, the Alden Digital Planetarium: A National Geographic Theater, daily Science Discovery programs, live animal habitats, nature trails through forest and meadow, seasonal narrow-gauge railroad Explorer Express Train, and its expansive interactive outdoor exhibit, Nature Explore®. It also offers a variety of sponsorship, membership, and giving opportunities for businesses and organizations.

The EcoTarium, located at 222 Harrington Way in Worcester, Mass., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sundays 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. General admission is $18 for adults, $14 for children 2-18, $14 for seniors 65+ and students with ID, and children under 2 are free. Planetarium shows and Explorer Express Train require an additional ticket. Parking is free. For more information, visit ecotarium.org.