Blue Ridge PBS, Natural Tunnel Present Family Event

See Buddy the T-Rex from “Dinosaur Train” during a free family event at Natural Tunnel State Park on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. Credit: The Jim Henson Company, all rights reserved.

A popular PBS children’s series is coming to Scott County this weekend as youngsters up to age 8 are invited to “Come on board the Dinosaur Train."

Blue Ridge PBS and Natural Tunnel State Park invite families throughout the region to “Tracking with Buddy,” a day of free nature activities based on the PBS Kids series “Dinosaur Train.”

The event will be held Saturday, Sept. 22, from 1 to 4 p.m., in and around the park’s Cove Ridge Center and Wilderness Road Blockhouse.

No vehicle fee will be charged at the park entrance for visitors attending the event, and there is no charge for the event itself. Activities are geared for children in pre-school to age 8.

“Blue Ridge PBS believes it’s important for children to explore the natural world with their families, and there’s no better place to have an outdoor adventure than beautiful Natural Tunnel State Park,” said James Baum, station President and CEO. “Kids and families will enjoy the many hands-on exhibits that capture the story of our region’s natural history.”

At the registration tent, kids will receive a “Tracking with Buddy” passport to guide them through the day’s activities such as touch tables with animal pelts and fossils, creating rubbings of plants, making a bat kite, taking a kid-size guided walk along the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail and visiting special exhibits about the region’s caves and groundwater. As a special reward, children who participate in several activities will receive a Nature Tracker Club card from “Dinosaur Train.”

At the Wilderness Road Blockhouse, children can get a taste of frontier life with demonstrations of the uses of flax, spinning wool into fiber and blacksmithing. Noted musician Ron Short will play popular fiddle tunes of the era and more.

Visitors can expect Buddy the T-Rex, the star of “Dinosaur Train,” to make a special appearance each hour.

Additionally, episodes of “Dinosaur Train” will play throughout the afternoon at the Cove Ridge Center auditorium. There will also be drawings for "Dinosaur Train" door prizes throughout the day.

Organizations providing exhibits and activities include Bays Mountain Park, the Gray Fossil Site, the Bristol Bird Club, Project Underground and the Museum of the Middle Appalachians.

“Dinosaur Train,” which airs weekdays on Blue Ridge PBS at 9:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on weekends, embraces preschoolers’ fascination with both dinosaurs and trains. Buddy, a preschool-aged Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his adoptive family of Pteranodons go for adventures on the Dinosaur Train to meet all kinds of dinosaurs in different eras.

For more information about the event, visit BlueRidgePBS.org.