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9:58 p.m. Friday, August 21, 2009

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Fernbank announces dinosaur sculpture names

Saturday irthday bash caps off "90 Days of Dinosaurs"

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Their names are not as exotic sounding as Zoo Atlanta giant panda cubs Mei Lan ("Atlanta Beauty") and Xi Lan ("Atlanta's Joy"). But the new handles for the hadrosaurs who have taken up residence in Fernbank Museum of Natural History's entrance plaza make the same kind of local connection.

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John Spink, jspink@ajc.com Haddie (left), Georgia and Ferny are the names selected for the dinosaur sculptures at Fernbank.

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At the Dinosaur Birthday Bash today, Fernbank officials will announce the names for the trio of dino sculptures that have inhabited the entry since May, based on nominations and voting by visitors to the museum and its Web site. But here's the scoop: The 24-foot-long mom is Georgia, the juvenile drinking water is Haddie (for hadrosaur), and its sibling is Ferny.

The Lophorhothon atopus, a species of hadrosaurs that roamed land that's now Georgia more than 72 million years ago, have afforded Fernbank visitors an appropriate backdrop for photo snapping, and it has given the museum a chance to educate even before guests get through the door.

Fernbank celebrated their arrival with a "90 Days of Dinosaurs" summer festival, being capped with the dino-themed fun today in celebration of the eighth anniversary of the museum's permanent "Giants of the Mesozoic" atrium exhibit.

Kids of all ages can created Argentinosaurus-shaped birthday hats, attend a puppet show, play pin the bone on the dinosaur and feast on kids meals ($6) featuring dino-shaped chicken nuggets.

Dinosaur Birthday Bash

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. $15, adults; $14, students and seniors; $13, ages 3-12; free, 2 and younger. Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road N.E., Atlanta. Free with museum admission: 404-929-6400, www.fernbankmuseum.org .