It has been 10 years since TDOT workers stumbled upon a deposit of soft, black clay while widening and straightening a two-lane road in Gray. When it was discovered that the black clay was home to thousands of mineralized animal bones and plant remains, construction plans for the site ceased and the Gray Fossil Site was born.Today, the Natural History Museum and Visitor Center is frequented by people from around the world. More than 200,000 people have visited the site since the museum opened less than three years ago, learning about the new species of animals discovered there, walking the actual sites where scientists excavate and experiencing many of the unique traveling exhibits brought into the museum multiple times a year.

To commemorate its 10th anniversary, the museum is hosting many events.

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, it opened Saturday, April 17, offering a variety of free arts, crafts, guest speakers and activities for guests of all ages. Booths throughout the museum’s lobby focused on five different aspects of environmental health.

“Alex the Alligator, he’s talking about how to keep our water clean, as well as how to conserve water,” said Jessi Webb, organizer of the Earth Day event.

“Each booth focuses not only on appreciating our Earth now, and how beautiful it is, but to make it even better tomorrow for generations to come.”

Now that the Earth Day event has come and gone, museum staff and volunteers are focusing their efforts on the upcoming April and May events. Scientists from across the country who have had a hand in Gray Fossil Site discoveries will return to the museum April 23, 24 and 25 for a public symposium. Beginning with a reception Friday evening, members of the public will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with scientists and listen to them speak about their research. On Sunday, the museum is opening its collections area and prep lab, and the public will get an insider’s look at what goes on at the site.

After the symposium, the museum will host a Doors Open Day, on Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., in which members of the public can explore the museum free of charge.

The museum’s main event is an upcoming gala, which will be held at the the fossil site on Saturday, May 22. Cost for the event is $100 per ticket, and each ticket will admit two people. Proceeds from the fundraiser will assist the museum in bringing in top-grade traveling exhibits.

“We like to change that whole thing out every three to four months,” said Jeanne Zavada, museum director. “The cheapest traveling exhibit we’ve brought in was from the Smithsonian and it was about $12,000. The most expensive one was $75,000, and that was at a reduced cost.” While the traveling exhibits are expensive, Zavada said they are necessary to expose people in the area to history they wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to see.

The gala will offer heavy hors d’ouvres and a silent auction, as well as a bar and live musical entertainment. The dress is cocktail attire.

Since tickets to the museum gala won’t fit into everyone’s budget, Zavada advises of other ways to contribute to the museum’s success.

“We’re always looking for volunteers,” she said. “Our volunteers are very special people, as far as we’re concerned.”

Regardless of their majors or areas of study, students can get involved at the museum in a variety of ways.

“We have an application for them to fill out and on that application is, ‘What interests do you have?'” said Zavada. “In other words, is it marketing? Is it public speaking? Is it working in the lab, getting your technical skills honed?”

No matter how students help the museum, one thing is certain: volunteer work of this capacity looks great on a résumé.

“These are things that you can carry later on into the workplace,” she said. “If an employer is looking at the skills that you have and you say that you’ve worked for a place like this as a volunteer for a number of years, it’s impressive.”

The museum is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m, seven days a week. The permanent exhibits are always free to the public. For more information, visit the museum.

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