KU’s Eleanor Gardner got bit by the fossil bug before she could read.

Her quest to know more about dinosaurs began with a picture book while she was curled up on her mom’s lap, “I remember a pop-up book with dinosaur skeletons that I loved,” she said.

“I just couldn’t get enough of it!”

Now the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for KU’s Natural History Museum is in town with her team – ready to pass the excitement of learning onto next generation.

Children visiting the Salina Public Library on Friday will have a chance to dig into the past – with a pop-up fossil museum. The team from the University of Kansas spent about two hours this morning setting up shop inside their traveling tent with over 90 species for visitors to encounter.

As part of the hands on experience -kids can uncover real Kansas fossils in the sand.

The free event is on the west edge of the Salina Public Library near the the Caldwell Plaza and is open Friday, July 12 from Noon until 4pm.

The pop-up fossil team will head to Great Bend on Saturday and wrap up their 3-day tour in Garden City on Sunday.