First Dinosaur Day in Cedar Park honors community leader

First Dinosaur Day in Cedar Park honors community leader

By Joseph M. de Leon Thursday, 07 May 2009

A scaly reptilian head on a massive body will tower over Champion Park on May 9. But don’t worry: it won’t bite.

It is part of the first Dinosaur Day celebration, noon-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 at 3830 Brushy Creek Road, in Cedar Park.

The event will include a dinosaur-shaped inflatable, performances by local musicians, light refreshments and activities for children, according to a Williamson County press release. All activities will be free and open to the public.

Dr. Pamela R. Owen, senior paleontology educator with the Texas Natural Science Center, will discuss fossils and show techniques for uncovering them.

The celebration honors the memory of Julie Bassett, a former member of the Fern Bluff M.U.D. board of directors, who died of cancer recently at age 41.

A dedication ceremony for Bassett will start at noon and will feature a color guard presentation of the flags and live music by the Round Rock Christian Academy High School Choir. Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, Precinct 1 Commissioner Lisa Birkman and others will discuss Bassett’s contributions to the community.

Bassett served on the committee that helped design the park. She, along with her daughter, Katie, helped come up with the idea for the theme of the park, which is an exploration of the area’s paleontological past.

Birkman and the Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department will host the event.

At the park, kids may search for fossil bone replicas of a Mosasuraus maximus — a huge seagoing relative of the lizard, according to the release. Their fossilized bones are fairly common across the state and are especially abundant in Central Texas.

The large fossil in the discovery area is cast from an original found in 1934 by two University of Texas students along Onion Creek in Travis County.

In addition to the covered sand discovery area, the park features a covered children’s play area with stone casts of dinosaur bones, a large blue whale that spurts water, and specially designed boulders for climbing. The park includes a large picnic pavilion with built-in grills, a fishing area, and a scenic bridge across the Brushy Creek.

Champion Park opened in fall 2007. Bonds approved by Williamson County voters in 2000 paid for the park.