PaleoFest!!

This post is also available in audio form: https://anchor.fm/makayla-palm/episodes/PaleoFest-e1g0pao

If you are interested in paleontology even a LITTLE bit, you need to know what Paleofest is. Paleofest is an annual conference held during the first weekend in March at Burpee Museum in Rockford IL. Burpee is well known for Jane, a juvenile T.rex, who was found in the mid 2000’s on one of their summer digs. The photo is one I snapped of Jane’s display during my first year attending Paleofest.

Paleofest has activities for all ages! There are activities throughout the day for kids and families in the museum. The highlight of Paleofest for me is the lecture series over the weekend! They have presentations given by members of the paleo community from all over the US. Depending on the year, they also have some international speakers! You can buy tickets for the whole weekend (Friday night-Sunday), attend just Sat/Sun, or just pick one day of lectures. They offer breaks between the lectures, offer catered lunch on site, and representative clubs from the area have booths you can visit. They also have an auction throughout the day to support the museum.

One of my favorite things about Paleofest is the ability to interact with scientists and other paleo-enthusiasts! I have talked to professors, chemists, paleoartists, and PhD students in recent years.

Here is the link to the Paleofest page for 2022 on Burpee’s Website: https://burpee.org/paleofest