LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WDRB) — The Kentucky Science Center is hosting a prehistoric party next month.

A party is set for Saturday, September 17, to honor the renovated World’s Fair Triceratops that has just returned to the Center.

Guests will have the chance to get up close and personal with costumed dinosaur characters and meet modern-day reptiles at the Dinosaur Dance Party. You’ll also have the chance to try out a paleontology-themed activity.

At noon on the day of the party, the name of the winning Triceratops at the 1964 World’s Fair will be announced.

It was one of nine fiberglass dinosaurs created as part of an exhibit led by the Sinclair Oil Company at the 1964 World’s Fair.

After the exposition, the Triceratops, formerly known as Lottie, hit the road and traveled across America before being gifted to Louisville. Her first habitat was the Louisville Zoo in 1970, but in 1979 she began calling the Science Center parking lot home, where she remained until late 2007.

A science center official said the dinosaur survived the 1994 Louisville flood “because of agile staff who amputated the dinosaur’s entire leg so that it would not float when flood waters rose.” Thanks to you,” he said.

Due to a proposed construction project, the dinosaur was moved to a storage warehouse, but got stuck. After that, there were no funds available for repairs to put the dinosaur on display again.

Years later, in 2018, a local man found Lottie behind railroad tracks in Louisville, California. He made it his mission to bring her back from her extinction by creating a group called “Operation CARLOT” to represent her actions in the community to save Louisville’s Triceratops.

It’s unclear how and why the dinosaur was moved from a warehouse near California, where it was discovered around 2018, to an outdoor space.

Operation CARLOT was working with the Kentucky Science Center to return the Triceratops to its famous location.

At 10 feet tall, 25 feet long and weighing about 5,000 pounds, this dinosaur is back on top of the Kentucky Science Center parking lot elevator to keep it safe from motorists and the Ohio River.

The Center’s Dinosaur Day will be held on September 17th from 10am to 2pm. Most of the day’s activities are included in your general admission ticket.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

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