Here's some random intel that guests at the Houston Museum of Natural Science learned about dinosaurs Friday night: They were warm blooded, some had feathers and the closest modern-day relative is the chicken. And that the Tyrannosaurus rex, despite its ability to detect smells from as far as 15 miles away, had little appreciation for wine.
That would be the massive creature courtesy of Erth Dinosaur Petting Zoo snarling and roaring quite loudly at an attentive assemblage which was seeking knowledge from a handful of friendly Houston Museum of Natural Science paleontology braniacs in white lab coats scattered throughout the lobby.
While Rich Hutting, Amanda Norris and Nicole Temple were amidst a show-and-tell of life 300 million years ago with real fossils and models, like a 7-inch sloth claw, dino skin and calcified prehistoric poop, the flirty T-Rex was dying to be the center of attention, almost knocking down a few cocktails along the way — though it was quite adept at striking a pose for the camera and saying "cheese."
The flirty T-Rex was dying to be the center of attention, almost knocking down a few cocktails along the way.
Such was the scene at the launch of a monthly informative soirée series at HMNS. Feeling that something was amiss in the calendars of young professionals and the young at heart when "Mixers and Elixirs" went extinct, this "LaB 5555: Skin and Bones" revived a throng of 750 to check out, adult beverage in hand, the newly opened Hall of Paleontology, mingle and learn a few things while doing so.
It wasn't just the installations of substantial size, like the Acrocanthosaurus, the 10-foot Dimetrodon or Megalodon, that earned attention from onlookers. The vast collection of smaller petrified remains and trilobites welcomed oohs, aahs and ouches from the meandering pack, some making kissy faces to snap a cute memento to post on social media.
And that's what HMNS smarty pants officials wanted, for guests to "geek responsibly."
Tunes by Collide, the rowdy alter ego of Divisi Strings, spurred on those with a skip in their step to bust a move. Others opted to lounge al fresco in the company of food trucks It's a Wrap, Pi Pizza, Luchi & Joey's and Big Happy's Ice Cream & Treats, with classical sounds seeping in from Houston Symphony's musicale at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
On this primordial safari were Brandy Nora, Lisa Young, Robin Fisher, Riddhi Chheda, Manuelo Garrone, Erica Guerrero, Megan Conners, Delores Perez, Chelsea Jackson, Shy Johnson, Jessica Sharp, Joy Hebert, Heather Backo, Sarah Milstead Post, Jair Velazquez, Danielle Treadwell, Keri Kyle, Will McDaniel, Fritz McDonald, Ted Bowen and Meghan Slaughter.
