Dino-might Life-size animatronic creatures invade convention centre By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:14 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 11, 2024

Contrary to scientific evidence, the dinosaurs migrated to Canada via semi-truck trailers and forklifts big and small.

Jurassic Quest — a travelling North American exhibition — rolled into Winnipeg with dozens of life-size dinos in tow, kicking off the prehistoric production’s 2024 Canadian tour.

The RBC Convention Centre was abuzz Thursday morning with crews unloading animatronic approximations of creatures from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. By Friday at noon, the empty hall was set to be transformed into an ancient playground.

“We work until midnight usually, and then tomorrow morning we do our finishing touches,” says Samira Lyons, a staffer with the company. “We have trees and flowers; it’s very scenic. And each scene is the timeline of the dinosaur’s existence.”

Jurassic Quest aims to keep the entertainment educational by grouping dinos with other era-specific species in fenced enclosures. The show covers the reptiles’ 165-million-year reign on Earth with an army of small stationary and large animatronic animals, such as Spinosaurus, Carnotaurus and Tyrannosaurus, which are programmed to gnash their teeth, move their heads and swing their tails.

The three-day event also includes much modern-day silliness.

Lyons, a.k.a. Ranger Sam, is a face painter and Utahraptor trainer. Throughout the weekend, she’ll be teaching visitors how to train a pair of raptors, named Diego and Jojo, to dance and follow basic commands, such as spin and sit.

“They can both have bad behaviour,” Lyons says of her charges. “Jojo is our lady dinosaur and Diego’s our male dinosaur. They may knock stuff over onstage; they’re really goofy and stubborn.”

Her advice for kids who might be intimidated by the realistic-looking critters?

“Make sure you don’t have any dino chicken nuggets in your pockets,” she says.

Baby dinosaurs and their handlers will also be roaming the exhibition. Krystal Bogle is a trainer in charge of Trixie, a tiny Triceratops who enjoys being petted. The audience at Jurassic Quest shows is usually full of pint-sized paleontologists.

“They all love dinosaurs and like to tell me which is their favourite one. They know stuff (about dinosaurs) I didn’t even know, so I’m always learning something new,” Bogle says.

Bogle also works the face-painting booth between tours with Trixie. While dinosaur masks are available, dino scratches are the main attraction.

“They come in looking normal and they leave all scratched up with (fake) blood all over their face. That’s a big seller,” she says.

Other interactive activities include a self-guided scavenger hunt, raptor roping, dinosaur riding, real fossil display, archeological dig and inflatable bounce houses (socks required).

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

X: @evawasney