By Kris Leonhardt

MARSHFIELD – Two nonprofit organizations dedicated to educating youth are bringing dinosaurs to Wildwood Park & Zoo.

A unique fundraising event, a collaboration between the Wildwood Zoological Society and Wausau-based Colossal Fossils, will bring a hands-on, interactive natural history exhibit and program to Wildwood Station the third weekend in February.

“David (Daniels, Colossal Fossils,) approached us at a Zoological Society meeting, wanting to go forward and do this event with the Colossal Fossils and the Zoological Society,” said Wildwood Zoological Society Secretary-Treasurer Brandi Reed. “So, he actually brought it to our attention that he would like this to happen in Marshfield, and we thought it was a pretty neat idea.”

The event is a mix of school tours and open public visits, where visitors have an opportunity to learn more about dinosaurs and ice age mammals, while getting up close and personal with the past.

“(David) is setting up tours through the schools, that you go through Colossal Fossils and book your tour,” said Zoological Society President Mary Wilson.

“The group gets a personalized tour guide and they take them through, discussing and talking about the dinosaur bones and the dinosaurs themselves, and then there is a little session later that they get to gather together and talk a little more one-on-one and actually touch fossils, then ask questions to these experts that are the tour guides,” said Reed,” and then, at the very end (of the tour) there is a little store set up so they can buy fossils or other little trinkets.”

The walk through time takes place Friday, Feb. 16, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 17, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Wildwood Station, 1800 S. Roddis Ave., Marshfield.

School classes and scout troops may reserve a time slot for their group, but the event is open to the public.

“If the kids come on Friday (with their school,) they can always bring their parents on Saturday, if they want to come back,” added Reed.

For more information, contact Colossal Fossils at [email protected] or visit www.facebook.com/wildwoodzoo.