Shindig numbers continue to rise

This year marked the 6th anniversary of Carter County Museum's Dino Shindig. Numbers at the event continue to grow each year, as 480 people attended the talks and children's activities on Saturday, up from 434 last year.

Sixty people took in a history and science program at Medicine Rocks on Sunday. Meanwhile, 61 dig participants worked to remove a femur and collected prehistoric leaves in a Hadrosaur quarry. New events like the sister museum and schoolhouse gallery show on Friday and the butterfly workshop on Sunday helped to increase this year's attendance.

Auction items on Saturday brought in over $2,000. The highest selling item was a Pachycephalosaurus growth series painting from paleoartist Doyle Trankina that brought in $550. Trankina used oil paints mixed from dirt out of the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary to create the artwork. It was purchased by Randy Pelton, a retired Earth Science teacher from Cleveland.

The Dino Shindig was named Montana's Event of the Year in 2017, and with the slate of activities increasing each year, it seems it will continue to be one of Ekalaka's larger celebrations for years to come.