BELLE FOURCHE—The Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek Museum celebrated the Fourth of July in style this year as they participated in a large variety of events during the Black Hills Roundup celebration.
The Museum had a booth in the vendor area at the Roundup Grounds during the PRCA rodeos, and on July Fourth, they had a giant mosasaurus float in the parade. But they weren’t quite finished celebrating, so they invited kids to come out and participate in the second annual Raptor Roundup on July 5.
“This year we had a great Fourth of July. The billboard on I-90 is working—we’re getting lots of traffic. We’re doing good! The last few days were pretty busy, obviously. We were closed on the Fourth of July—we were doing the parade and all that,” explained Walter Stein, owner.
The Raptor Roundup was a day dedicated to the young dinosaur lovers who wanted to hang out at the Museum and participate in dinosaur-themed games. As an added bonus, those kids who arrived dressed in a dinosaur costume got free admission to the Museum for the day.
Stein, talking into his megaphone, gave the rules to each of the games, and the kids participated and had a good time. You could hear their laughter and see smiles on their faces.
One of the favorite games was Robot Raptor Races, where the kids got to maneuver a remote control dinosaur around a race track, and the fastest time won.
In another game, Dinosaur Hunt, the kids had to capture the Triceratops. The kids, armed with hard hats or foam batons, hunted for the bright green Triceratops roaming around the area. After the kids captured it, high-fives were given all around.
Two races were held outside. The first was Dinosaur Stampede, and the kids lined up holding an inflatable dinosaur on their back and raced about 20 yards. The second was the Raptor Riden’ Race, where the kids climbed aboard the inflatable dinosaur and rode it to the finish line. A few of the little ones got bucked off the dinos and ended up on the ground rather than at the finish line.
The weather outside was hot, so some of the games were played inside the air-conditioned building. Those were the Excavation Game, Name the Dino Game and Find the Fossil, which rounded out the fun for the day.
After all of the games concluded, it was time for prizes! Stein addressed the kids and their families and said, “I got prizes for everybody for participating in the event. Thank you, guys! You did a wonderful job! All of you did great! You guys don’t have to go if you want to, go through the exhibits and look around some more, go for it!”
The Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek Museum is busy preparing for their next big event, Rock’in Rock, Mineral and Fossil Show on August 15 and 16 during the last weekend of the Sturgis Rally. The event will have vendors and food trucks along with Pass the Mike Entertainment karaoke on Saturday, August 15, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Road State Ramblers from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and then the musical duo Bittersweet on Sunday, August 16, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the West Dakota Band from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. You are invited to bring your lawn chairs and hang out for the day. Hitching Post Tap House will provide a beer garden. Mark your calendars and plan to attend!
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