SUNDERLAND — The halls of the town library echoed with prehistoric roars and the sound of colossal battles raged between warring dinosaurs of distant past Wednesday night, during an educational show by Dinoman.
The prehistoric monsters came to town in the form of full-sized blow-up dinosaurs — a triceratops and a stegosaurus — and captured the imaginations of more than 50 wide-eyed kids.
“It’s all science-based,” said Bob Lisaius, the performer behind the Dinoman show. “There’s no better way to introduce kids into the world of science.”
Lisaius has been traveling the country performing at schools and libraries as the character Dinoman for almost 30 years. In the past week he has traveled to Pennsylvania and New Jersey to put on shows.
His obsession with dinosaurs began when he was young. One day, he said, he was biking through his hometown in New Jersey when he discovered dinosaur tracks.
“Ever since,” he said, “I’ve been hooked on the dinosaur thing.”
Lisaius said he wants to pass that love on to the next generation.
During the show, Lisaius relates stories about fossils, explains how scientists know how old the earth is, and dramatizes what life was like in the Mesozoic Era.
Lisaius said he brings out a few blow-up dinosaurs later in the show.
The show is geared toward children, but Lisaius said it’s funny enough for adults to enjoy, too. It was sponsored by a grant from the town cultural council, and held inside the library’s community room.
“It’s very zany,” he said. “Adults enjoy it as much as 7-year-olds.”
For the library, it was a chance to encourage children to engage with learning.
“This is part of our summer reading program ‘on your mark, get set, read!’” said Katherine Hand, library director, about the show. “We try to do a lot of fun programs that are also educational, to bring kids into the library and show them that this is a fun place.”
You can reach Andy Castillo at:
acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo