Pay no attention to the man behind the animatronic dinosaur puppet

Millions of years ago, triceratops and tyrannosaurs roamed the Outback. Plesiosaurs ruled the coastline, and giant insects swarmed through the sky. Today, the only remnants of the countless creatures that shared our prehistoric planet are bones, fossils, and organic material preserved in amber and ice. Through animatronic dinosaurs and full-scale models, we can imagine an animal kingdom populated with reptiles, mammals, and bugs tens – even hundreds – of times more massive than the creatures of today. Unfortunately, the nearest dino exhibit is in Minneapolis, and animatronics shows are few and far between. Most days, the only encounters Eau Claire kids will have with prehistoric life are in the drab 2-D world of their middle school textbooks. But on Thursday, March 30, the Smithsonian is coming to life – Night At The Museum style – right in your backyard. The State Theatre will host Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live, an educational interactive show packed with expert information. The Sydney-based troupe will take the audience on a tour of prehistoric Australia. During the show, kids will get up on stage to meet, touch, and “feed” lifelike dinosaur puppets manned by Erth’s master puppeteers. Fifty VIP ticketholders will have the chance to interact with the dinos before the show while Mom and Dad take advantage of exclusive photo-ops. Dinosaur Zoo is a no-violence show, but the T-Rexes are going to tear it up. 

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live • Presented by ECRAC • March 30, 6:30-9pm, VIP meet-and-greet 5:30pm • State Theatre, 316 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire  • $25-$35/adult, $15/child, $50 VIP • All Ages • (715) 832-2787 • info@eauclairearts.com • eauclairearts.com