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21 September 2007
A T. rex Named Sue


Michael Paha puts the final touches on a foot of T. rex Sue on Thursday at the Anniston Museum of Natural History. The museum is open Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Photo: Kevin Qualls/The Anniston Star

By Andy Johns
Star Staff Writer
09-21-2007

Reprinted here in its entirety.

T. rex Sue’s Final Touch

It may be the most anticipated pile of bones ever to come to Anniston.

After 18 months of planning, a week of installation and 65 million years of fossilization, the Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Sue is finally ready for her debut in Anniston.

“It’s been incredible to see it come to fruition and have it built right in front of you,” said Anniston Museum of Natural History Marketing Manager Margie Conner.

“A T. rex Named Sue” opens at the museum at 9 a.m. Saturday, with Ronald McDonald cutting a ceremonial ribbon at noon.

Conner said new dinosaur-related exhibits have been sprinkled around the museum, ranging from a full-size stegosaurus skeleton to skulls, models and interactive games. There are plenty of new items on display, even for those who have been to the museum before.

“I just tell people to keep their eyes open and look in every nook and cranny,” she said.

She said guests could walk right under a pteranodon or past a mosasaur and not know it if they are not watching for them.

While many of the bones, including Sue and the stegosaurus, are cast replicas of the originals, some of the exhibits contain actual bones, fossils and teeth, including a leg bone from a duck-billed hadrosaur.

Museum officials have estimated 30,000 people will visit Sue before the exhibit’s close in January. Compared with the museum’s usual annual attendance of 64,000, the big skeleton should pay big dividends at the box office.

Conner expects the museum to be crowded opening weekend and asked that anyone bringing a group of 10 or more please book ahead.

About Andy Johns

Andy Johns is the mobile reporter for The Star. He is a graduate of Berry College in Rome, Georgia.

See story at The Anniston Star's website: www.annistonstar.com .

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