Fossil enthusiasts and snake lovers filled the Museum at Saturday’s Fossil Road Show
On a nice day when most of the predicted rain did not actually appear, a crowd of folks from all over the area came to the Fossil Road Show at Union County Heritage Museum. This was the 17th year of touring the state for the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science’s popular Fossil Road Show.
Paleontologist George Phillips gave a talk about recent fossil finds in Mississippi, with information on their general locations and their importance to further discerning the far, far past of Mississippi. His lecture pretty much centered on what he called “shallow geology,” which includes finds on or near Earth’s upper crust. There was a good bit of participation from the audience, many of whom answered questions with which Phillips challenged his listeners. Several members of the audience asked their own pertinent questions about the new finds or gave interesting comments. It seems that there are, indeed, many in the Union County area who are greatly interested in knowing more about the area’s geologic history, which can be learned via fossils both large and small.
An additional focus for the Museum’s Fossil Roadshow this year was on Snakes of Mississippi. This was in recognition of the Year of the Snake on the Chinese Zodiac. Brad and Blake Pressley, who are avid artifact collectors, brought some of their live snakes and presented information on “good and bad” snakes of Mississippi. Part of their aim was to help separate “truth” from “fiction” regarding various myths and widely held beliefs and fears about snakes and their behavior. There was a ‘standing room only’ audience for this program. It was interesting to see how many of the audience members, especially the young ones, were excited to see and touch the Pressley’s live snakes.
There were activities related to the fossil theme of the program, including a fossil dig. provided by the North Mississippi Gem and Minerals Society. As always, there were experts on hand to give opinions and identifications on personal treasures found in the area by the public. The proper identification of finds brought in by amateur fossil enthusiasts are a main source of significant finds in the field of paleontology. Additionally, the Memphis Gem and Mineral Society had displays and sales of all manner of jewelry, charms, and artifacts, all of which seemed to be very popular with museum visitors.
Video by Kim Davis
