Unearth your inner paleontologist

A weekend of fossils is sure to leave an impression during the annual Paleopalooza festival at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

The two-day festival on Saturday and Sunday will feature seldom-seen specimens from the academy and the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society. Guests can become a dinosaur CSI and solve a mystery from millions of years ago, meet a 15-foot-long animatronic T. rex, and also take guided tours of Dinosaur Hall at 10 a.m., noon, 2, and 4 p.m.

Visitors can watch paleontological specimens prepared for the unveiling of a new kind of Patagonian dinosaur from Argentina. You can also learn about the fossil record, which illustrates evolutionary changes over the last four billion years, and then make a fossil-inspired CD cover among other activities.

At 11 a.m., 1, and 3 p.m. on Saturday; and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday, Scott Sampson from the PBS children's series Dinosaur Train will give a fun all-ages presentation on dinosaurs.

Later on Sunday, at 3 p.m., dinosaur aficionados can hear his talk, "Dr. Scott Sampson: New Discoveries." All Paleopalooza activities are free with academy admission, except Sampson's presentations, which are $7.50 per show. Tickets must be purchased by 5 p.m. Friday at www.ansp.org.

Public Eye Artists for Animals and the Parkway Central Library children's department present "Stories From the Wild" with storytelling, art projects, and creative movement activities.

The free program, from 2 to 4 p.m., will focus on the book Lightfoot the Deer, written by Thornton W. Burgess. It's a tale of a deer that survives the wild with help from humans and animals. Storyteller Loretta-Lucy Miller will share the tale from the deer's perspective, portraying the conflict between deer and hunter. Artist Zipora Schulz and dancer Lara Vracarich will lead the hands-on activities.

Folklore and instrument building will be a part of Bash the Trash Environmental Arts' event, African Folktales, on Saturday at the Kimmel Center.

From 11 a.m. to noon, the special event will feature African folktales told through performance, storytelling, and instrument building using recycled and reused materials. Visitors will hear ancient mythological stories rooted in West African folklore, including Anansi and the Plantains, Anansi and the Call of Dinnertime, and Tiger and the Yams. Guests can build horns or trumpet tubes similar to those used throughout Africa.