Looming over 60th District Representative Eddie Washington is a ferocious-looking T-Rex, baring teeth like spears just inches from his head. Yet Washington is smiling. In fact, he looks delighted. The Waukegan Representative stands amid a throng of people at the grand opening of the expansive new “Dig the Dinosaurs” exhibit at the Waukegan Public Library. Debuting November 15, the exhibit commemorates the first anniversary of the library’s award-winning Early Learning Center (ELC), a bilingual facility serving Waukegan kids age seven and under.
“This is a great day for the people of Waukegan,” said Washington. “The library is creating new opportunities for the city’s early learners, and I’m proud to be here to support that.”
Hundreds of Waukegan residents flanked to see the new exhibit, which provided a prehistoric potpourri for the senses. Fog billowed around the center like gases from Mesozoic era. Vines hung from the ceiling. The trumpeting of a Parasaurolophus sounded in the background. Young visitors dug for dinosaurs at the sensory table, and stepped inside life-size dinosaur footprints. In the ELC theater, thespians in the crowd donned dinosaur costumes and even staged their own prehistoric show.
“We could never have pulled this all off without our generous donors and three key volunteers, Mitch Siegel, Chuck Rizzio and Rena Morrow,” said Elizabeth Stearns, Assistant Director of Community Services for the library. The volunteers helped design the exhibit and assemble many of the dinosaur displays, including the majestic centerpiece of the exhibit, a 6’4” Probactosaurus replica.
Most of the funding for the project came from North Shore Gas and a donation from Samantha Bailey and the Bailey/Seidenfeld Family. During the opening, the Executive Director of the library, Richard Lee, joined Washington in unveiling a glass donor wall inscribed with the names of all the ELC contributors.
“My mom and her mother grew up [in Waukegan],” said Samantha. “So, when my grandma died, we thought she would like to donate to the library. It meant a lot to my mom and my dad.” It means a lot to Waukegan residents as well. Since its opening in November 2008, the ELC has entertained more than 16,000 children and become a frequent field trip host for preschools and daycare centers all around the city.
The ELC offers free classes for preschool-age kids based on the Waukegan School District 60 curriculum. Library officials expect class attendance to continue to grow now that EPIC, Waukegan’s public preschool program, was forced to close its primary facility after losing state funding. In addition to drop-in storytimes in both English and Spanish, the ELC offers a variety of free camps focusing on nature, art, science, math, and of course, dinosaurs.
“I’ve been living six or seven years in this town, and I first came here three weeks ago,” said Felix Nunez. “Now I come almost every day. The kids love it. They’re usually really wild, but here I don’t have to worry.”
The ELC is located on the lower level of the main library at 128 North County Street. Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays (during the school year), 1 to 5 p.m. Free parking is available.
