Kids get up-close with ‘baby’ T-rex
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By David Burke | Wednesday, March 05, 2008 |
A group at the i wireless Center get a sneak peek at a one of the attractions in the "Walking with Dinosaurs" show. (Jeff Cook/ Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo
VIDEO: Dinosaur comes alive in Moline
Youngsters from the Scott County YMCA Solutions program were given a sneak …
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As children gathered Tuesday afternoon in the lobby of the i wireless Center in downtown Moline, a quick, loud bellow came from behind a black curtain set up by the arena entrance.
“That was me,” Stephani Nagle, the marketing manager of the downtown Moline arena, joked with the kids. “I had a big lunch.”
But the dozens of youngsters from the Scott County YMCA Solutions program cheered as the smallest star of “Walking with Dinosaurs” plowed his way through the curtains.
The “baby” T. rex, baring its teeth, came rushing toward the children, who shrieked in a combination of awe, delight and fright.
By the time the baby T. rex lifted the rope that separated it from the children, the youngsters had tried to scatter.
“It was scary when he broke through the gate,” said Tyree Overton, 10, Rock Island. “I thought he’d maybe eat us all up because he got close to our faces.”
Zegory Musgrave, 11, Davenport, said he was skeptical at first. Like several of the other children, he could see a puppeteer’s gray stocking-clad legs underneath the costume.
“Then when it came toward me, I just ran,” he said. “I was going to run for my life.”
“If he did (break through), I’d be jumping on him and wrestling him,” said Emmanuel Vargas, 10, of Davenport.
It was all to promote the Quad-City dates of “Walking with Dinosaurs” at the i wireless Center, which opens tonight for the first of seven shows in five days. The show features animatronic versions of 15 dinosaur species. The largest is an adult Brachiosaurus at 36 feet tall by 56 feet long. The adult T. Rex is 23 feet tall and 42 feet long.
The reactions of the children Tuesday are typical, “Dinosaurs” resident director Cameron Wenn said.
“When people see these dinosaurs in ‘real life,’ they’re quite blown away by it,” he added.
The children, students at Lincoln School in Davenport, who were on hand Tuesday all received tickets to tonight’s show.
Scott Mullen, the executive director of the i wireless Center, said he is pleased with the response the $20 million production has received.
“It’s a really good response, and the sales have really picked up this week,” he said. “We doubled our sales in the last two weeks.” Tickets remain available for all seven shows.
David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com.
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