Take me to the river: The many ways to enjoy the Charles this summer

Many bridges over the Charles get more attention, but the Charles River Dam and locks are the most critical pieces of infrastructure. They shut out the sea and modulate the height of the river's waters, turning otherwise tidal mudflats into the placid lake-like basin we know and love.
The dam and locks, which were completed in 1978, definitely deserve a look. From North Station, walk past Lovejoy Wharf (with the flagship brewery and restaurant of Night Shift Brewing) through the parking lot to reach the footpath over the locks. When you walk across the dam from the West End to Charlestown you might even get lucky and see the locks in action. If not, you can still check out the massive gears that enable them to open and close. Before stepping into Charlestown, strike a melodious note on the gongs of Paul Matisse's 'Charlestown Bells.' It's the first of many public art installations you'll encounter along the river banks.
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This playground in Paul Revere Park is on the Charlestown side of the Charles River Dam.
David Lyon
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The Zakim Bridge dominates the skyline here, yet some surprising green spaces have sprouted in its shadows. Paul Revere Park features playgrounds and ballfields, while the gracefully arching North Bank Bridge leads to North Point Park in Cambridge with another playground and spray pad. Directly under the elevated roadways, the scoops and ridges of the Lynch Family Skatepark boast a coat of colorful (and sanctioned) graffiti. Follow the water around a basin to Museum Way, which deposits you at the Museum of Science atop the original 1910 Charles River Dam and locks.
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In the Museum of Science, the Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River offers interactive exhibits to learn about the natural science and the engineering of the river.
David Lyon
The museum is perhaps the ultimate destination for nerdy fun. There's no shortage of gee-whiz exhibits (such as the lightning bolts in the Theater of Electricity or a 65-million-year-old Triceratops skeleton), but the Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River holds its own. It may have huge windows on the river, but kids are more drawn to the interactive exhibits that combine natural history lessons with scale-model engineering puzzles about water quality and flood control. They can build variations on bridges and water control gates or even crawl around in a simulated sewer system. Cute life-size bronze statues of turtles, ducks, an otter, and a muskrat bring the river fauna inside.
The bow of the ‶Henry Longfellow″ cruise vessel offers broad views of the Charles River.
David Lyon
ON THE WATER
Feeling lazy? The Charles River Boat Company offers leisurely 70-minute cruises. Leaving from Lechmere Canal on the Cambridge side, the boat glides past rowers, sailors, and flocks of waterfowl up the river to the John W. Weeks Footbridge and back. You'll look from side to side as a guide points out landmarks along the banks, including the Back Bay skyscrapers and the 100-foot-diameter Great Dome of MIT. Keep your eyes peeled for the CSX Railroad Bridge below the BU Bridge, popular with graffiti artists. Many of the tags represent the logos of crew teams from various universities. Just upriver of the Harvard (Mass. Ave.) Bridge, the vibrant ‶Patterned Behavior″ mural by Silvia López Chavez along the multiuse path got a fresh coat of paint this spring.
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Kayakers head out of Broad Canal into the Charles River basin toward the Longfellow Bridge.
David Lyon
If you'd rather move at your own pace, rent a kayak at Paddle Boston's Kendall Square location. You might not travel as far under your own power, but you'll be sitting inches off the water the whole way. Yes, you will get wet, but the water quality of the Charles has come a long way since the 1990s. This is the best way to admire the blue herons stalking prey in the shallows along the shores, to study the underbellies of the bridges, or to paddle through the lagoons of the Charles River Esplanade.
Famed for the July 4 Pops concert, the Hatch Shell is a focal point of the Charles River Esplanade.
David Lyon
GREEN BANKS
The Charles River Esplanade between the Longfellow and Harvard bridges is the best-known stretch of riverbank, thanks to the Boston Pops concert and fireworks on Independence Day. From the Longfellow Bridge, you'll pass Community Boating — another chance to rent a kayak, or, for experienced sailors, a small keelboat. The heart of the Esplanade, though, is the Hatch Shell. The Art Deco concert stage, which predates World War II, doesn't go dark after July 4. It's a summer-long venue for concerts and movies. Among the statues ringing the field in front of the shell, the presiding spirit is the bronze of philanthropist David G. Mugar, who introduced pyrotechnics to the July 4 Pops concert. He famously told legendary Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, 'You bring the music, and I'll bring the fireworks.' Cross any of the bridges over the lagoon to see the monumental bust of Fiedler.
Night Shift Brewing operates a beer garden on the Charles River Esplanade.
David Lyon
Picnic tables and benches make this stretch an excellent area to spread a repast. Or check out the Night Shift Beer Garden, where there's often at least one food truck operating next to the beer taps. If you have kids in tow, you'll find a playground near the beer garden and another farther upriver closer to the Harvard Bridge.
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Charles River Boat Company runs river cruises from the Lechmere Canal behind the CambridgeSide mall.
David Lyon
BUCOLIC BASIN
It's a little more than a five-mile walk upriver from the Hatch Shell to Christian Herter Park in Brighton. For a less ambitious walk, start at the John W. Weeks Footbridge at the bottom of DeWolfe Street outside Harvard Square in Cambridge. You'll have great views of the winding river from atop the bridge — a prime viewpoint to watch rowing regattas. Cross to the Boston side, where the footpath skirts the roadway until you reach an underpass at the Eliot Bridge.
Christian Herter Park is the largest park on the Charles River basin.
David Lyon
Suddenly, the narrow way opens into the sprawling meadow of Herter Park, the largest section of open parkland along the Charles River basin. It's big enough to include a playground and spray fountain, a large green lawn favored by volleyball and badminton players, a Night Shift beer garden, a 350-seat amphitheater for outdoor music and theater performances, and another Paddle Boston rental kiosk. Kayakers often rent here to explore the tranquil upper reaches of the river basin, where ducks, geese, and swans paddle on the water and red-winged blackbirds flit in the marshy borders.
This monumental bust of Arthur Fiedler on Charles River Esplanade is constructed of stacked aluminum slabs.
David Lyon
This should be enough to fill several summer weekends in the city. And when you're done, the Charles continues upriver another 70 miles or so to Echo Lake in Hopkinton.
Patricia Harris and David Lyon can be reached at
.
Paddle Boston's kayak and paddleboard kiosk in Christian Herter Park is a good place to rent a watercraft to explore the more tranquil upriver portion of the Charles River basin.
David Lyon
If you go …
For schedule of Free Friday Flicks at the Esplanade see
.
For the schedule of Landmarks Orchestra performances at the Hatch Shell, see
Advertisement
For information on the July 12 Charles River Jazz Festival at the Herter Park Amphitheater see
For more on public art, see
Night Shift Brewing
617-456-7687,
1 Lovejoy Wharf, Boston
Mon.-Thu. 3-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Charles River Esplanade Beer Garden
Wed.-Fri. 4-10 p.m., Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m.
Christian Herter Park Beer Garden
Thu.-Fri. 4-10 p.m., Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m.
Museum of Science
1 Science Park, Boston
617-723-2500,
Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Adults, $31; seniors, $27; ages 3-11, $26
Charles River Boat Company
100 Cambridgeside Place (Lechmere Canal), Cambridge
617-621-3001,
Sightseeing tours at 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., daily through Sept. 1, Wed.-Sun. Sept. 23-28.
Adults, $28.50; seniors and students, $25.50; under age 12, $19; under age 3, $5
Paddle Boston
617-965-5110,
Kendall Square, Cambridge
15 Broad Canal Way
Allston/Brighton
1071 Soldiers Field Road
Check website for hours and weather conditions
Kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes, $33-$85
Community Boating
21 David G. Mugar Way
617-523-1038,
Kayaks and paddleboards, $40; keelboat for up to 4 people, $99
Check website for hours
Silvia López Chavez's ‶Patterned Behavior″ mural brightens the Charles River walking/cycling path.
David Lyon
Patricia Harris can be reached at

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Boston Globe

2 days ago

• Boston Globe

Take me to the river: The many ways to enjoy the Charles this summer

Many bridges over the Charles get more attention, but the Charles River Dam and locks are the most critical pieces of infrastructure. They shut out the sea and modulate the height of the river's waters, turning otherwise tidal mudflats into the placid lake-like basin we know and love. The dam and locks, which were completed in 1978, definitely deserve a look. From North Station, walk past Lovejoy Wharf (with the flagship brewery and restaurant of Night Shift Brewing) through the parking lot to reach the footpath over the locks. When you walk across the dam from the West End to Charlestown you might even get lucky and see the locks in action. If not, you can still check out the massive gears that enable them to open and close. Before stepping into Charlestown, strike a melodious note on the gongs of Paul Matisse's 'Charlestown Bells.' It's the first of many public art installations you'll encounter along the river banks. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up This playground in Paul Revere Park is on the Charlestown side of the Charles River Dam. David Lyon Advertisement The Zakim Bridge dominates the skyline here, yet some surprising green spaces have sprouted in its shadows. Paul Revere Park features playgrounds and ballfields, while the gracefully arching North Bank Bridge leads to North Point Park in Cambridge with another playground and spray pad. Directly under the elevated roadways, the scoops and ridges of the Lynch Family Skatepark boast a coat of colorful (and sanctioned) graffiti. Follow the water around a basin to Museum Way, which deposits you at the Museum of Science atop the original 1910 Charles River Dam and locks. Advertisement In the Museum of Science, the Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River offers interactive exhibits to learn about the natural science and the engineering of the river. David Lyon The museum is perhaps the ultimate destination for nerdy fun. There's no shortage of gee-whiz exhibits (such as the lightning bolts in the Theater of Electricity or a 65-million-year-old Triceratops skeleton), but the Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River holds its own. It may have huge windows on the river, but kids are more drawn to the interactive exhibits that combine natural history lessons with scale-model engineering puzzles about water quality and flood control. They can build variations on bridges and water control gates or even crawl around in a simulated sewer system. Cute life-size bronze statues of turtles, ducks, an otter, and a muskrat bring the river fauna inside. The bow of the ‶Henry Longfellow″ cruise vessel offers broad views of the Charles River. David Lyon ON THE WATER Feeling lazy? The Charles River Boat Company offers leisurely 70-minute cruises. Leaving from Lechmere Canal on the Cambridge side, the boat glides past rowers, sailors, and flocks of waterfowl up the river to the John W. Weeks Footbridge and back. You'll look from side to side as a guide points out landmarks along the banks, including the Back Bay skyscrapers and the 100-foot-diameter Great Dome of MIT. Keep your eyes peeled for the CSX Railroad Bridge below the BU Bridge, popular with graffiti artists. Many of the tags represent the logos of crew teams from various universities. Just upriver of the Harvard (Mass. Ave.) Bridge, the vibrant ‶Patterned Behavior″ mural by Silvia López Chavez along the multiuse path got a fresh coat of paint this spring. Advertisement Kayakers head out of Broad Canal into the Charles River basin toward the Longfellow Bridge. David Lyon If you'd rather move at your own pace, rent a kayak at Paddle Boston's Kendall Square location. You might not travel as far under your own power, but you'll be sitting inches off the water the whole way. Yes, you will get wet, but the water quality of the Charles has come a long way since the 1990s. This is the best way to admire the blue herons stalking prey in the shallows along the shores, to study the underbellies of the bridges, or to paddle through the lagoons of the Charles River Esplanade. Famed for the July 4 Pops concert, the Hatch Shell is a focal point of the Charles River Esplanade. David Lyon GREEN BANKS The Charles River Esplanade between the Longfellow and Harvard bridges is the best-known stretch of riverbank, thanks to the Boston Pops concert and fireworks on Independence Day. From the Longfellow Bridge, you'll pass Community Boating — another chance to rent a kayak, or, for experienced sailors, a small keelboat. The heart of the Esplanade, though, is the Hatch Shell. The Art Deco concert stage, which predates World War II, doesn't go dark after July 4. It's a summer-long venue for concerts and movies. Among the statues ringing the field in front of the shell, the presiding spirit is the bronze of philanthropist David G. Mugar, who introduced pyrotechnics to the July 4 Pops concert. He famously told legendary Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler, 'You bring the music, and I'll bring the fireworks.' Cross any of the bridges over the lagoon to see the monumental bust of Fiedler. Night Shift Brewing operates a beer garden on the Charles River Esplanade. David Lyon Picnic tables and benches make this stretch an excellent area to spread a repast. Or check out the Night Shift Beer Garden, where there's often at least one food truck operating next to the beer taps. If you have kids in tow, you'll find a playground near the beer garden and another farther upriver closer to the Harvard Bridge. Advertisement Charles River Boat Company runs river cruises from the Lechmere Canal behind the CambridgeSide mall. David Lyon BUCOLIC BASIN It's a little more than a five-mile walk upriver from the Hatch Shell to Christian Herter Park in Brighton. For a less ambitious walk, start at the John W. Weeks Footbridge at the bottom of DeWolfe Street outside Harvard Square in Cambridge. You'll have great views of the winding river from atop the bridge — a prime viewpoint to watch rowing regattas. Cross to the Boston side, where the footpath skirts the roadway until you reach an underpass at the Eliot Bridge. Christian Herter Park is the largest park on the Charles River basin. David Lyon Suddenly, the narrow way opens into the sprawling meadow of Herter Park, the largest section of open parkland along the Charles River basin. It's big enough to include a playground and spray fountain, a large green lawn favored by volleyball and badminton players, a Night Shift beer garden, a 350-seat amphitheater for outdoor music and theater performances, and another Paddle Boston rental kiosk. Kayakers often rent here to explore the tranquil upper reaches of the river basin, where ducks, geese, and swans paddle on the water and red-winged blackbirds flit in the marshy borders. This monumental bust of Arthur Fiedler on Charles River Esplanade is constructed of stacked aluminum slabs. David Lyon This should be enough to fill several summer weekends in the city. And when you're done, the Charles continues upriver another 70 miles or so to Echo Lake in Hopkinton. Patricia Harris and David Lyon can be reached at . Paddle Boston's kayak and paddleboard kiosk in Christian Herter Park is a good place to rent a watercraft to explore the more tranquil upriver portion of the Charles River basin. David Lyon If you go … For schedule of Free Friday Flicks at the Esplanade see . For the schedule of Landmarks Orchestra performances at the Hatch Shell, see Advertisement For information on the July 12 Charles River Jazz Festival at the Herter Park Amphitheater see For more on public art, see Night Shift Brewing 617-456-7687, 1 Lovejoy Wharf, Boston Mon.-Thu. 3-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Charles River Esplanade Beer Garden Wed.-Fri. 4-10 p.m., Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m. Christian Herter Park Beer Garden Thu.-Fri. 4-10 p.m., Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m. Museum of Science 1 Science Park, Boston 617-723-2500, Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Adults, $31; seniors, $27; ages 3-11, $26 Charles River Boat Company 100 Cambridgeside Place (Lechmere Canal), Cambridge 617-621-3001, Sightseeing tours at 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., daily through Sept. 1, Wed.-Sun. Sept. 23-28. Adults, $28.50; seniors and students, $25.50; under age 12, $19; under age 3, $5 Paddle Boston 617-965-5110, Kendall Square, Cambridge 15 Broad Canal Way Allston/Brighton 1071 Soldiers Field Road Check website for hours and weather conditions Kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes, $33-$85 Community Boating 21 David G. Mugar Way 617-523-1038, Kayaks and paddleboards, $40; keelboat for up to 4 people, $99 Check website for hours Silvia López Chavez's ‶Patterned Behavior″ mural brightens the Charles River walking/cycling path. David Lyon Patricia Harris can be reached at

San Francisco Chronicle​

13-06-2025

• San Francisco Chronicle​

What to Stream: HAIM, 'The Gilded Age,' Benson Boone, astronaut Sally Ride and digital dinosaurs

Lifelike digital Triceratops and Spinosaurus lumbering through a reimagined 'Walking with Dinosaurs' and Benson Boone's sophomore album 'American Heart' are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press' entertainment journalists: A documentary on trailblazing NASA astronaut Sally Ride, the third season of 'The Gilded Age' and Tron: Catalyst, a video game inspired by the 1982 movie 'Tron.' — Cristina Costantini's documentary 'Sally' (Tuesday on Disney+) richly details the story behind the headlines of the first American woman to fly in space. The portrait of Sally Ride, the trailblazing NASA astronaut, is narrated by her life partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy. Her intimate perspective on Ride, along with archival footage and interviews with family and colleagues, captures a fuller backstory to an American icon who rose despite pervasive sexism. — 'The Ballad of Wallis Island' (streaming on Peacock) was a standout in the first half of 2025, but easy to miss. A funny and tender charmer set on the coast of Wales, it's not a movie screaming for your attention. It stars Tim Key as an isolated widower who uses some of his lottery winnings to hire his favorite band, a folk duo named McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden, Carey Mulligan) to play by his rural home. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that the film feels 'like a much-needed balm. Modest in scope and made with the lightest of touch, not unlike the lovely folk songs that populate its soundtrack, it's also deceptively powerful: A gentle ode to moving on, in quirky packaging.' — Netflix tends to bury older films in its algorithms but the streamer is hosting a good batch of Alfred Hitchcock movies. This month, it added 'Vertigo,' 'Rear Window,' 'The Man Who Knew Too Much,' 'Frenzy,' 'The Plot' and 'The Birds' to its collection, along with the already-streaming 'Psycho.' These are movies often available elsewhere, and there are many other great Hitchcock films. But a solid sampler pack on Netflix could help bring Hitch to some new audiences, and there's never a bad time to see 'Vertigo' for the first time. New music to stream from June 16-22 — 'Beautiful Things' singer Benson Boone will release his sophomore album, 'American Heart,' on Friday, June 20. Expect big pop-rock filtered through a kind of post-Harry Styles mimicry, and 1970s worship. For fans of Queen, ELO, and gymnastic pop stars with a penchant for doing backflips on stage. — The Los Angeles sister trio HAIM have returned with 'I Quit,' 15 tracks of danceable breakup bangers perfect for your summertime sadness. It's soft rock-pop for the Miu Miu crowd and a sonic cure for seasonal depression. — The Brooklyn-based R&B/soul singer-songwriter Yaya Bey will release a new album on Friday, June 20, 'do it afraid.' It's a big of a detour for the ever-evolving talent: 'Merlot and Grigio' features Bajan dancehall artist Father Philis, the dance-y 'Dream Girl' has echoes of Prince and 'Raisins' is a bit jazzy. There's a lot to love here. — For the indie crowd, the New York-based Hotline TNT have been a fan favorite for their shoegaze-y power pop that appeals to both classic rockers and those emo pop-punkers who miss the Vans' Warped Tour. On Friday, June 20, the group, led by Will Anderson, will release 'Raspberry Moon' via Jack White's Third Man Records. Across the release, they build on their guitar melodicism. — AP Music Writer Maria Sherman New series to stream from June 16-22 — In 1999 a series called 'Walking with Dinosaurs' premiered in the UK and captivated audiences. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh, it was inspired by 'Jurassic Park' and at the time was the most expensive documentary per-minute ever made. Special effects like CGI and animatronics helped bring the dinosaurs to life. Twenty-five years later, a reimagined 'Walking with Dinosaurs' debuts on PBS in conjunction with the BBC using the latest technology to make the dinosaurs seem even more lifelike. The six-episode series is now narrated by actor Bertie Carvel. It will be available to stream on PBS platforms and its app beginning Monday. — It's a great week for period pieces. First, Apple TV+'s Gilded Age, girl power series, 'The Buccaneers,' returns Wednesday for its second season. The soapy period piece features a cast that includes Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Josie Totah and Christina Hendricks. It's based on an unfinished Edith Wharton novel about five American women in London for debutante season. These women are a contrast to English high society because they're extroverted and opinionated. The story is centered around Froseth's Nan who is in a love triangle although each character has their own drama to contend with. Leighton Meester has also joined the cast. — BritBox has the 1930s drama 'Outrageous," also out Wednesday. It's based on the true story of the Mitford sisters, six women born into an aristocratic family who made headlines for their personal lives and politics. Bessie Carter, who plays Penelope Featherington on 'Bridgerton' plays one of the sisters, Nancy Mitford. 'Outrageous' is inspired by a biography that was originally published in 2002. — The TV adaptation of the popular YA novel 'We Were Liars' arrives on Prime Video on Wednesday. It follows the affluent Sinclair family who has enough secrets to fill one of their bank accounts. It follows Cadence, one of the granddaughters who pals around all summer with two cousins and a family friend, Gat, and their group of four is known as The Liars. When Cadence is injured and no one will be honest with her about what happened, she attempts to piece together what happened. — Another dysfunctional family is introduced Thursday in Netflix's 'The Waterfront" about the Buckleys, a family of fisherman and restaurateurs in North Carolina. Business has been dwindling and questionable choices are made to stay afloat, keep their secrets, and not get caught by authorities. Holt McCallany ("Mindhunter") Maria Bello and Melissa Benoist star. Topher Grace and Dave Annable also have recurring roles. — A third period piece out this week is the third season of 'The Gilded Age" and there is a lot to catch up on. Cynthia Nixon's Ada Forte, now a widower after a very short marriage, has just discovered her late husband left her a fortune. This makes Ada the new matriarch of her family, surpassing her sister Agnes (played by Christine Baranski.) Their niece Marian (Louisa Jacobson) seems to be in the early stages of a courtship with neighbor Larry Russell, whose family's wealth comes from new money. Created by Julian Fellowes, the new season premieres Sunday, June 22 on Max. — Alicia Rancilio New video games to play from June 16-22 — The influence of Disney's movie 'Tron,' with its icy, neon vision of cyberspace, far outweighs the number of people who actually saw it when it came out in 1982. (I know I spent a lot more time playing the arcade game.) We are getting a third movie, 'Tron: Ares,' in October — but first we get a new game, Tron: Catalyst. You are Exo, an advanced computer program in a glitchy electronic world. You'll need to fight malware with your Identity Disc or run from it on your Light Cycle as you try to escape a malevolent entity called Conn. Developer Bithell Games' previous release, Tron: Identity, was a tightly focused mystery, and Catalyst looks to expand upon its stylish metaverse. Boot up Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch and PC.

Yahoo

03-06-2025

• Yahoo

Dig this: Triceratops skeleton is on its way to The Putnam Museum, Davenport!

During the Putnam Museum's annual Dino Days event, Cindy Diehl Yang, president and CEO of the organization, announced the plan to bring an adult Triceratops skeleton to the Davenport museum for the greater Quad City community. The skeleton is currently being excavated at a dig site in remote Lusk, Wyoming. A team of 10 from the Putnam Museum and the greater community are expected to leave on Sunday, June 22, to join the dig and begin the process of bringing the findings back to the Quad Cities. The multi-year project was made official last summer when Kelly Lao, vice president of museum experiences, visited the excavation site. During that time, Dr. Marcus Eriksen, founder and executive director at Leap Lab, agreed to host the dig expedition, assist with bone prep and fabricate any missing pieces that are not found when unearthing the skeleton. 'The Putnam is thrilled to partner with Leap Lab to bring a triceratops to the Quad Cities,' Lao said. 'This collaboration combines cutting-edge science with immersive education, inspiring curiosity and wonder in our community. It's not just about showcasing a dinosaur; it's about sparking the imagination of future explorers, scientists, and lifelong learners.' The Triceratops fossils will make the Putnam Museum and Science Center the only place in Iowa where visitors can see a full dinosaur skeleton. The museum expects the skeleton to be installed in 2027 and be a permanent addition to the museum's over 250,000-item collection. Throughout the multi-year project the museum plans to keep the Quad City community involved with project updates, including a community naming contest, a dino lab allowing guests to see the prepping of the bones, multiple appearances around town and much more. This long-term and monumental project is supported by multiple partners and sponsors, including the Quad City Cultural Trust, Augustana College and the Fryxell Geology Museum, VictoryXR, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Leap Lab: Ventura County Science Center, Eastern Wyoming Nature Center and local Jurassic Park aficionado Colin Parry. The Putnam will also have opportunities for community members to contribute to the 'Bring the Dinosaur Home to the Quad Cities' project through in-person donations at the museum and online. 'This project feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the museum,' said Yang. 'As I'm relatively new to the Quad Cities it's an honor to be a small part of bringing something this epic to this amazing community. With a project this big we can't do it alone, thank you to our partners, especially Quad City Cultural Trust and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. This will be the community's dinosaur, and we will need everyone's support to bring the dino home.' About the Putnam The Putnam Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, exists to preserve, educate and connect people to the wonders of science, culture, and history. For more than 150 years, guests have experienced the Putnam's permanent exhibits ranging from Unearthing Ancient Egypt to our family-favorite science galleries, as well as an array of programs and internationally recognized traveling exhibits. The Putnam is dedicated to helping guests discover and explore in a friendly and engaging atmosphere. For more information, visit here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.