A museum is gearing up to celebrate National Fossil Day and invites the community to come celebrate the area’s rich fossil heritage.

The Aurora Fossil Museum will host festivities for 2015 National Fossil Day on Oct. 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum and its learning center. Admission for the event is free.

National Fossil Day, which falls on Oct. 15, is a celebration organized by the National Park Service to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of their scientific and educational values, according to the NFD website. The day was first declared in 2010.

According to Cynthia Crane, museum director, the museum has hosted activities on a smaller scale in previous years, but this year’s event is the first major push to garner a large attendance. And though the museum is not considered a national park, it is a partner for the event that joins in the celebration. It decided to host its celebration on Saturday, however, making it easier for families and children to attend.

“Where else can you celebrate National Fossil Day if not at that Aurora Fossil Museum?” Crane said. “Because it’s held on a weekday, a lot of smaller museums tend to switch it over to a weekend so we don’t encourage truancy and then families can actually come out.”

Crane said this year’s festivities include a lineup of activities, with support from two local organizations — N.C. Fossil Club and Special Friends of Aurora Fossil Museum. A scavenger hunt, involving attendees answering questions based on displays in the museum and learning center, will provide an opportunity for visitors to enter a grand prize drawing. Also during the event, the museum educator will give impromptu sessions on learning how to do the Pungo Crawl, Crane said.

“It’s a secret so everyone has to come out and learn how to do it,” Crane said.

At 11 a.m. George Powell Jr., an honorary Special Friend of the Aurora Fossil Museum and fossil collector, will give a presentation titled, “A Whale of a Challenge,” a tale about what it takes to prepare, transport and display a fossil, based on Powell’s personal experience, Crane said. The N.C. Fossil Club will also have a series of displays set up for attendees to view and will talk about the fossils in their collection.

At 2 p.m., Crane will talk about the museum’s past, present and future.

“I will give an overview about how (the museum) was founded and what it’s withstood over the past 40 years it’s been around, what’s going on with it now and the future of the museum,” Crane said.

Crane said the weather for Saturday is supposed to be perfect for fossil digs, as the museum will give attendees access to its fossil pits across the street from the museum.

“It’s an important event to help raise awareness of paleontology and fossils and how fossil fit into the history of the world,” Crane said. “It’s important for people to go to a museum and explore what it has to offer to help build knowledge of different aspects that you might not necessarily be involved with on a day-to-day basis. So for the museum to have a celebration of fossils, it will help (attendees), in turn, become more enlightened about fossils and more inquisitive about geology, paleontology and related sciences. I think this area is very rich in scientific history that to have any kind of celebration to bring people out to see it is important. It’s one of the rare special fossil locations in the world. It’s unique and has a lot of scientific merit—to have a museum in such a small area is important to who people are in this area. We want to educate and bring people out and let them have fun and learn about science and fossils and interact with people who have a passion for finding fossils and sharing their hobbies.”

The Aurora Fossil Museum is located at 400 Main St. in Aurora. For more information, visit https://nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/ or call the museum at 252-322-4238.