Local attraction nearing extinction
Last season in Leonia for Field Station: dinosaurs
By: Megan Burrow
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... After 14 years in North Jersey, Field Station: dinosaurs, the family attraction in Overpeck County Park in Leonia, where it has operated for nearly a decade, has announced that this season will be its last.
.....
"This final season is about celebrating the joy, curiosity , and memories we've created with generations of families," Guy Gsell, executive producer of the attraction, said in a statement. "We're proud of what filed Station has meant to the community, and we're excited to share one last unforgeable season with our guests."
..... The statement did not explained why this will be the final season, and calls for more information were not returned.
..... In December, [2024] Gsell announced that the attraction was changing to a nonprofit. The change was meant to ensure Filed State: Dinosaurs would continue for years to come, he said at the time.
..... As a nonprofit, the park would be able to accept donation and apply for grants, said Gsell, who planned to stay on as executive director for three years during the transition.
the foundation was seeking to raise $25,000 ahead of the park's opening in May [2025] to help with costs associated with expenses, he said.
..... "This is all about setting up for the future," he told NorthJersey.com in December. [2024] "We want to make suer the park can continue its mission and its ability to serve the people of Bergen County and New Jersey for the next 15, 20 or 50 years. We want to be that kind of institution."
..... The exhibit features about three dozen animation dinosaurs, with live shows, games and activities designed to bring the long-extinct creatures to life for children and their families. Its season runs from May to November.
..... Field Station: Dinosaurs moved to Leonia in 2016 from its original location in Secaucus. In 2021, the exhibit signed a five-year lease with Bergen County Improvement Authority to remain in the park, and it became an official education partner with the county.
..... The park opened to the public on May 24 and will be open Saturdays and Sundays through June 22, when it will operate Tuesday through Sunday until the end of August. the park will remain open for the fall season on Saturdays and Sundas from September 6 through November 9, with special openings on Thursday and Friday, Novembers 6 and 7.
..... Student, school and camp group bookings are selling at a faster pace nth last year, [2024] Gsell said.
..... Planned special events for the last season include: Celebrate National Dinosaur day on Sunday Juen1, Meet Dono Don on July 12, Meet Marc Rogoff on July 19, and experience Mad Science on august 2, with foggy dry ice storms, meteor drops, and a volcanic eruption.