In recognition of Indigenous People’s Day, we are offering free admission on Monday, October 10th! The park opens 9 am and closes at 4:30 pm, final entry is at 2:45 pm. The first tour of the day departs at 9:15 am, with tours running every 30 minutes until the final tour at 2:45 pm.
We provide complimentary buckets and trowels to use while fossil hunting, as well as small bags to bring your fossils home in. Many of our visitors solely use a bucket and trowel if they’re planning to surface collect. We have a limited number of tool rentals available for $5 per set. Tools are rented on a first come, first served basis. Each set includes a small sledge hammer, a geologist’s hammer, chisel, safety goggles, knee pad, and bucket.
Registration is not required, but if you would like to guarantee a specific tour time, you can pre-register online.
What is the most commonly found trilobite at Penn Dixie? Who directed Jurassic Park? Compete for prizes and put your paleo-brain power to the test during this quiz-show styled event where we ask all things prehistoric!
You may bring snacks and non-alcoholic beverages to this event. We advise that you bring bottled water as we do not have running water on site. There are portable toilets available near the parking lot. In the event of heavy rain or if we detect lightning on site, the program will be cancelled, you will be notified via email and receive a full refund.
Admission is $7 per participant, free for Penn Dixie members – registration is required. Prizes will be awarded to placing teams, everyone will receive Penn Dixie participation swag.
Cancelation policy: Penn Dixie will not refund payments for cancellations made less than 48 hours prior to the program. Refunds will not be available for registrants who choose not to attend a class/program. If you registered for a program that was canceled by Penn Dixie, you will receive a full refund.
A unique opportunity like never before – a tour led by all of Penn Dixie’s Directors! Executive Director Dr. Phil Stokes, Associate Director Dr. Holly Schreiber, and Director of Science Catherine Konieczny, M.S. will lead the group to to several unique areas on site that are not visited on typical tours. This program includes tool rental and specimen id cards, and you can keep all of the fossils that you find!
Please dress in weather-appropriate gear, pack layers, and wear boots. Additionally, we advise that you bring bottled water as we do not have running water on site. There are portable toilets available near the parking lot. In the event of heavy rain or if we detect lightning on site, the program will be cancelled, you will be notified via email and receive a full refund.
Admission is $7 per participant, free for Penn Dixie members. Ages 10 & up. Registration required, members please contact the office at 716-627-4560 for a registration code.
Cancelation policy: Penn Dixie will not refund payments for cancellations made less than 48 hours prior to the program. Refunds will not be available for registrants who choose not to attend a class/program. If you registered for a program that was canceled by Penn Dixie, you will receive a full refund.
Penn Dixie is excited to report that the first phase of construction is underway for a new parking lot and entrance road to be located at 3900 Jeffrey Blvd. in Hamburg. The project commenced last week with a generous donation of skilled labor from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 17. Local 17 has a long tradition of supporting civic projects in the WNY region, including recent work at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and Hamburg Town Park Beach.
“The Operating Engineers Local 17 Apprenticeship is excited to be involved with this project. We have completed many projects over the years, providing our apprentices with valuable real-life heavy equipment operating. It will be nice to work on this important venture right here in our hometown. We’re very happy for the Penn Dixie organization,” says James A. Smolinski Jr., Administrative Manager for Operating Engineers Local 17 Training Fund.
Operating Engineers Local 17 working on the new parking lot at 3900 Jefferey Blvd.
“Penn Dixie is a valuable community and regional asset. The Town of Hamburg is proud of and dedicated to our ongoing support and partnership with Penn Dixie as they advance their vision and mission. This project is a long-sought improvement which started two years ago with discussions between Penn Dixie, Operating Engineers Local 17 representatives, then Traffic Safety Coordinator Jerry Giglio, and myself. It has been a terrific process of collaboration between entities,” says Hamburg Town Councilwoman Elizabeth Farrell.
“We’re essentially starting from scratch with this transformational project. The defunct Pennsylvania-Dixie Cement Company created a very large area strip mine. All soil was removed and the land was mined deeply below grade. As you can imagine, many improvements are needed to make the land suitable for development. We are honored that Local 17 is offering their technical expertise, and that the Town of Hamburg has created such an excellent and supportive environment for our organization’s growth” says Executive Director Dr. Phil Stokes.
This project solves many problems, including growing traffic in the Steelton residential neighborhood caused by increased Penn Dixie visitation, the lack of a permanent street address for Penn Dixie visitors to plug into their GPS, and the shortage of safe parking for Penn Dixie guests. “I’m very much looking forward to not pushing visitor vehicles out of the mud on rainy days,” says Stokes.
Operating Engineers Local 17 apprentices leveling ground. Video by Mark Castner.
The new parking lot will be built on a 5-acre lot located within the remnants of the former quarry. The 5-acre lot was acquired by Penn Dixie in 2008; the purchase was made possible by the East Hill Foundation, Wendt Foundation, Ravenwood Associates, and individual donors. The first step is to grade (i.e., build up while maintaining a level surface) the lot using 12,000 cubic yards of donated fill material. Using excavators, bulldozers, and other equipment, Local 17 will sculpt the material to allow for proper drainage of stormwater while also laying a foundation for the next steps. Local 17 Training Coordinator Kelly Roblee will lead on-site personnel in these efforts.
Progress.
“In the 29 year history of the Penn Dixie Fossil Park, this is the first physical improvement that leads directly to the construction of a permanent building. And the new entrance will immediately remove excessive traffic from the local residential neighborhood. The look and function of the Fossil Park will be dramatically improved. Seeing equipment on site and earth being pushed into place is really exciting. I was recruited many, many years ago as a Penn Dixie volunteer, and I’m proud to still be around and working on this dream project” says Mark Castner, Project Manager and former Board Chair at Penn Dixie.
“Many initiatives over the recent years have led Penn Dixie to this moment in our organization’s history. It is one step of many to provide not only an improved, easily accessible site, but also more science programming for all ages and a destination for our local communities and tourists. We have many people to thank for their time, efforts, and monetary contributions including our staff, volunteers, board members, community supporters and donors,” says Penn Dixie Board Chair Jennifer Hasse.
Visitors fossil hunting on Opening Day, 2022.
Educator Paul M. leading a tour on site.
Once the site is graded, it will be stabilized using geotextile fabric. Gravel will be installed above the fabric, creating a water-permeable and environmentally friendly parking surface. And, the entrance road will be paved to help reduce the amount of loose stone that might be tracked onto area roadways by school buses and other Penn Dixie visitor vehicles.
Following the completion of the parking lot and entrance road, Penn Dixie will add accessory structures such as a pavilion to welcome visitors, storage, fencing, security cameras, and signage. New trails will be required to connect the Jeffrey Blvd entrance to the existing trail network within the park. Local species of vegetation will then be seeded around the perimeter, eliminating the many invasive species that overran the park in the decades following mining activities. Finally, the old park entrance will be closed and Penn Dixie will relocate all operations to the new entrance. As funding is not yet secured for the latter steps, the timing of this move is not certain. In a future phase, a permanent visitor center will be constructed.
3900 Jeffery Boulevard after the first day of construction, May 13, 2022. Video by Mark Castner.
Join us on June 8th and 9th for our signature fossil dig — Dig With The Experts! This is our very popular, once yearly opportunity to unearth the best, most complete, and most unexpected fossils at Penn Dixie! We’ll have equipment do the heavy lifting and scientific experts on site to help with locating and identifying the best fossils. You’ll have to do your share of splitting and digging, of course, but you’re guaranteed to find something cool and interesting.
Expert volunteers — including scientists, leading fossil collectors, and experts on local geology — will lead the dig in a freshly excavated section of the Lower Windom Shale and will demonstrate how to find Devonian Period trilobites, cephalopods, fish remains, brachiopods, corals, wood, and a range of other marine invertebrates. Thanks to our experts — all volunteer collectors and paleontologists who travel to Penn Dixie to share their time and knowledge — we are celebrating our 19th dig in 2024!
This program will sell out — please reserve in advance to guarantee a spot. We do not recommend that children under age 10 attend this program due to the technical and safety requirements of splitting rocks. During Dig With The Experts, other areas of Penn Dixie will be open to fossil collectors of all ages and regular tours will be available. There will be a food truck on site each day.
Tickets are electronic and will not be mailed.
Eldredgeops rana.
Bellacartrightia, found and prepped by Alasdair Gilfillan.
DWTE 2022
Dig With The Experts draws collectors from around the globe for this unique opportunity, which was developed and is currently co-led by our friends from the Cincinnati Dry Dredgers. Bring a hammer, chisel, safety glasses, newspaper, and paper towels to wrap your fossils. Extra water is recommended, plus bring rain gear just in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Guests are welcome to bring their own food and beverages, as well as a small cart to transport personal items and specimens. Chairs and umbrellas may also be brought to this event.
