Falls Fossil Festival:
September 20 (9:00 AM - 6:00 PM)
September 21 (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
This is the Falls of the Ohio State Park's largest event with vendors and
food, children's activities, Liter's Quarry fossil dig, fascinating
speakers, free resources, door prizes, special fossil bed hikes, and more!
Free rock, mineral and fossil identification, so bring in your unknowns! New
for 2003 will be tours of Liter's Quarry in Jeffersonville. See the festival
web site for details:
http://www.fallsoftheohio.org/fossil_festival.shtml
FESTIVAL EVENTS:
Saturday, September 20
All activity areas and vendors are open from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm.
9:00 - 11:30 Hike on outer fossil beds, guided by educator and author Kenny Karem. This is a rugged hike on rocks and through some water (up to knee deep). Dress appropriately. A walking stick is recommended. Not recommended for young children. Call us for more information.
9:30 - 10:45 Indiana Geology Workshop, (pre-registration required), Indiana Geological Survey
11:00 - 12:15 Kentucky Geology Workshop, (pre-registration required), Steve Greb, Kentucky Geological Survey
Programs:
1:00 - 1:45 Ecology of Fossils- Interpreting How They Lived,Todd Hendricks,
Bardstown, Kentucky
2:00 - 2:45 The Strangest Clams That Ever Existed, Leigh Fall, Indiana
University
3:00 - 3:45 It Passed Through: Tracks and Traces in Kentucky Rocks, Dan Phelps,
Kentucky Paleontological Society
4:00 - 4:45 Indiana Crystals Nelson Shaffer, Indiana Geological survey,
Bloomington
5:00 - 6:00 Keynote Presentation: Decoding the Devonian, Dr. Carlton Brett
University of Cincinnati
Sunday, September 21
All activity areas and vendors are open from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm (except
outer bed hike).
9:00 - 11:30 Hike on outer fossil beds, guided by Paul Olliges, an experienced
Falls volunteer. This is a rugged hike on rocks and through some water (up to
knee deep). Dress appropriately. A walking stick is recommended. Not recommended
for young children. Call us for more
information.
Program times:
1:00 - 1:45 Fossil Collecting Tips, Rick Schrantz, Lexington, Kentucky
2:00 - 2:45 Mineral Collecting Tips, Charles Oldham, Crestwood, Kentucky
3:00 - 3:45 Indiana's Ice Age, Marni Dickson, Indiana Geological Survey,
Bloomington
4:00 - 5:00 Keynote Presentation: Caves - Piercing the Darkness, Chris
Anderson, Eddyville, Kentucky
Speaker schedule may be changed due to unforeseen circumstances. Any changes
will be announced during the Fossil Festival.
Naturalist-led hikes on the fossil beds along Indiana shore are scheduled
for Saturday and Sunday at these times:
10:00 AM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
Meet on the deck beside the Interpretive Center.
Other fossils, rocks and minerals will be identified by members of the Kentucky Paleontological Society, Indiana Society for Paleontology or KYANA Geological Society throughout the weekend. Special exhibit located inside the Interpretive Center will be "Indiana Crystals." This exhibit features some of the best minerals collected in the state. Specimens from private, Indiana State Museum and Indiana Geological Survey collections.
VENDORS
Located around the perimeter of the main parking lot, look for booths with
fossils, minerals, lapidary arts, jewelry, books, food, drinks and more.
This is a preliminary list:
Boutwell Tumbled Stones, Jasper, Indiana
Buffalo Outpost, Greenville, Indiana
Thelma's Frozen Lemonade, Jeffersonville, Indiana
Doug Corley Fossils / Bits & Bugs USA, Maryland Heights, Missouri
Earth's Art, Jeffersonville, Indiana
Earth's Creations, Louisville, Kentucky
Earth's Treasures, Plain City, Ohio
Eclectic Expressions, Lebanon, Illinois
EMGEM, Cassopolis, Michigan
Hermetic Minerals, Cilmanton, New Hampshire
Hycliffe Publishing, Louisville, Kentucky
Manning's Rock Shop, Troy, Ohio
Marc Behrendt Fossil Preparation, Somerset, Ohio
Osterberger's, Ringgold, Georgia
Rocks and Rockers, Crestwood, Kentucky
The Rock Smiths, Madison, Indiana
The Shaha's, Claremore, Oklahoma
TOURS OF LITER'S QUARRY
Liter's Quarry will offer free bus tours of their Atkins Quarry at:
11:00AM
1:00PM
3:00PM
on September 20 only.
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY AREA
This area is located on the far side of the main parking lot, on both sides
of the fossil piles.
Fossil collecting piles: (Adults welcome) - Silurian and Devonian fossils in two 15+ ton rock piles supplied by Liter's Quarry of Indiana, staffed by Liter's Quarry.
Join us at the Children's Activity Tent for kids activities presented by the Kyana Geological Society. Participate in a variety of make and take activities throughout the day. The planned schedule (subject to change):
Saturday
11:30 a.m. Gem Trees
1:00 p.m. Bead stringing
2:00 p.m. Weather Rocks
3:00 p.m. Dream Catchers
4:30 p.m. Pet Rocks/fossils
Sunday
11:30 a.m. Bead stringing
1:00 p.m. Pet rocks/fossils
2:00 p.m. Gem Trees
3:00 p.m. Weather Rocks
Under the Devonian Sea: A coloring sheet for kids of all ages. Sponsored by the Falls of the Ohio State Park.
Scavenger Hunt: Clarksville Riverfront Foundation
Resource Tent: Located behind the Interpretive Center, providing additional information about the Falls Fossil Festival and much more!
Clarksville Riverfront Foundation: Festival information and door prize tickets sales
Kyana Geological Society: Louisville metro area geology club - mineral & fossil ID, information, & an "egg carton rock collection."
Fossil parks of North America: Brochures are available for many of the sites in North America that protect and showcase fossil deposits.
Indiana Society for Paleontology: Fossil ID, information & club sales
Kentucky Paleontological Society: Fossil ID, information & club sales including a "spin the wheel" 25 cent fossil.
Door Prizes! Each vendor provides a door prize with a $25 retail value. Tickets are available at 25 cents each or 5 for $1. Need not be present to win.
Educator Prizes! Any teacher may register for a chance to win a geological collection for their classroom. Four collections are available: 100, 75 and 50-piece collections will be given away! Need not be present to win, but you must be able to pick it up from the Interpretive Center. In 2002, an educator from Corydon Junior High won the 100 piece collection, Henryville Elementary won the 75 piece collection and Stuart Middle School won the 50 piece collection.
Contact Information:
Alan Goldstein
alan@fallsoftheohio.org
(812) 280-9970 ext. 403.
Falls Fossil Festival general information may also be obtained from:
Mary Bedan
Clarksville Riverfront Foundation
P.O. Box 741
Jeffersonville, IN 47131-0741
(812) 283-4999
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