Aurora fossil festival 2017

[Boneheadz]

Hey we're gonna be heading down down to Aurora Fossil Festival coming up in May and was wondering if anyone had any plans? Ive heard that there are some Quarries down there that open up on Friday for collecting and I tried GMR last year but it was too flooded. Ill be heading down on Thursday and am i trying to find something to do on friday. Saturday I Plan on being at the festival. If anyone has any plans or suggestions please let me know. Im trying to enhance my festival experience as i don't usually hunt in NC.

Thanks, Boneheadz

[sixgill pete]

Hi Boneheadz, glad to hear you will be making it back tot he festival this year. Hopefully you will get by the display hall like you'll did last year. As far as the quarries, as of right now Martin Marietta only allows collection on the first Friday of each quarter. The next day is tomorrow and only at the Belgrade quarry. There will not be another day until July. They do allow club groups in at times. But these must be scheduled well in advance. Also, the Friday before the festival, the quarries have historically been closed to collecting. Not sure why. Honestly, if the water level is down GMR would probably be your best bet.

[SailingAlongToo]

Boneheadz,

 

We will be at the same place again this year at Aurora (porch of Community Bldg where all the scientific displays are located) displaying with the VA Museum of Natural History.  Please drop by again and say HI. TFF's February VFOM will be on display as well as some of the other more interesting finds we discovered over this past winter.

 

Don is right about the quarries so GMR isn't such a bad idea. We were there 2 weekends ago and did pretty well, considering it was 1 week after the NC Fossil Club had been with a bunch of people. We (3 of us) ended up with 2 pre-megs, 1 meg, bunch of large "frag-lodons", a horse tooth, fish jaw with teeth (probably enchodus), 750-1,000 assorted shark teeth, fish and shark verts, and other assorted "thingys" of some interest or another. I'm happy to tell you where we collected and where there is a considerable Cretaceous exposure with Exogyra and belemnites sticking out of the bottom of the creek and base of the banks. It has definitely changed quite a bit as a result of Hurricane Matthew flooding. We can discuss specifics via PM or email, if you are interested.

 

If the wind/waves cooperate the Friday before Aurora, we will be taking a group fossil hunting/collecting on the Chowan River on our way down south. As we get closer to the date, if I have extra room on the boat, I will let you know. It's more shell fossils than bone, though a few teeth have been found around there. If the wind/waves don't cooperate for the Chowan River trip that Friday, we will probably end up at GMR too unless one of the quarries does a surprise collecting day (not likely.)

 

Not sure where you are planning on staying but we will be in New Bern which has some awesome restaurants. Maybe, we can catch up for a brew or 2.

 

For you or anyone else interested, here is the brochure for the 2017 Aurora Fossil Festival.

 

Jack

 

 

[Boneheadz]

On 4/6/2017 at 9:57 AM, sixgill pete said:

Hi Boneheadz, glad to hear you will be making it back tot he festival this year. Hopefully you will get by the display hall like you'll did last year. As far as the quarries, as of right now Martin Marietta only allows collection on the first Friday of each quarter. The next day is tomorrow and only at the Belgrade quarry. There will not be another day until July. They do allow club groups in at times. But these must be scheduled well in advance. Also, the Friday before the festival, the quarries have historically been closed to collecting. Not sure why. Honestly, if the water level is down GMR would probably be your best bet.

Thats a shame haha, but I'll definitely be by the tent to say hello. Do you plan on doing any hunting that weekend?
 

[Boneheadz]

On 4/6/2017 at 10:27 AM, SailingAlongToo said:

Boneheadz,

 

We will be at the same place again this year at Aurora (porch of Community Bldg where all the scientific displays are located) displaying with the VA Museum of Natural History.  Please drop by again and say HI. TFF's February VFOM will be on display as well as some of the other more interesting finds we discovered over this past winter.

 

Don is right about the quarries so GMR isn't such a bad idea. We were there 2 weekends ago and did pretty well, considering it was 1 week after the NC Fossil Club had been with a bunch of people. We (3 of us) ended up with 2 pre-megs, 1 meg, bunch of large "frag-lodons", a horse tooth, fish jaw with teeth (probably enchodus), 750-1,000 assorted shark teeth, fish and shark verts, and other assorted "thingys" of some interest or another. I'm happy to tell you where we collected and where there is a considerable Cretaceous exposure with Exogyra and belemnites sticking out of the bottom of the creek and base of the banks. It has definitely changed quite a bit as a result of Hurricane Matthew flooding. We can discuss specifics via PM or email, if you are interested.

 

If the wind/waves cooperate the Friday before Aurora, we will be taking a group fossil hunting/collecting on the Chowan River on our way down south. As we get closer to the date, if I have extra room on the boat, I will let you know. It's more shell fossils than bone, though a few teeth have been found around there. If the wind/waves don't cooperate for the Chowan River trip that Friday, we will probably end up at GMR too unless one of the quarries does a surprise collecting day (not likely.)

 

Not sure where you are planning on staying but we will be in New Bern which has some awesome restaurants. Maybe, we can catch up for a brew or 2.

 

For you or anyone else interested, here is the brochure for the 2017 Aurora Fossil Festival.

 

Jack

 

 

Hey Jack, we do and always stay in New Bern haha, I've been trying for many years to find some Great Whites at GMR and any advise or expertise would greatly be appreciated. As for getting a beer, your preaching to the choir between me and my dad, I think he still has your number and email so ill have him get in contact with when the festival roles around. 

[RickNC]

Going to try to be there. I missed last year. 

[SailingAlongToo]

I am bumping this thread again since we are less than 14 days till the 2017 Aurora Fossil Festival. @Boesse @sixgill pete @Boneheadz @Daleksec @RickNC

 

If you've never been, its definitely worth the time. If you have been before, then you know what fun it can be. Plus, there will be a bunch of TFF members there again this year. Anyone who comes, please stop by the Community Building where the educational displays will be, and say hello. We will be displaying fossils on the front porch, right across from the NC Fossil Club table selling their books, CDs, etc. Inside the Community Building will be numerous universities, museums, clubs and groups from MD, VA, NC and SC displaying and identifying fossils. There are always really cool things to see at the educational displays.

 

Hope to see as many TFF members as possible there in 2 weeks.

 

Cheers,

Jack

[powelli1]

Hi everyone I will not be doing my 18' fossil display this year at the festival but I will be helping out at the Museum all day Fri. & Sat. and I will be home on Thur. before & Sun. & Mon. after the festival. If anyone wants to come by to see my collection in Greenville. I have around 15,000 fossils on display I have collected in my museum. If you have or have not been here to see it before come on back again. You can e-mail me or send a PM to let me know if you are coming by. I hope GMR will be good collecting by then. George

[Boesse]

I'll be manning a table in the Community Building right inside the main doors for the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History (CCNHM) with my collections manager Sarah Michalies! We're really looking forward to this. We also need to start planning our display pronto...

 

Bring your marine mammal fossils for identification!

[Boneheadz]

On 5/15/2017 at 5:36 PM, Boesse said:

I'll be manning a table in the Community Building right inside the main doors for the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History (CCNHM) with my collections manager Sarah Michalies! We're really looking forward to this. We also need to start planning our display pronto...

 

Bring your marine mammal fossils for identification!

I wish I had some Ive been in the paleocene as of late.... I'll take a look though