DECATUR - Dinosaurs are coming to Decatur.

A premiere animatronics dinosaur exhibit takes over the Children's Museum of Illinois starting Sept. 16. The museum is closed until then.

The exhibit contains a mother Parasaurolophus, a juvenile Parasaurolophus, a nest with six eggs hatching and their egg-bound siblings, plus a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex robot, which can be activated with a joystick. robot, which can be activated with a joystick.

Watch the creatures move and roar while observing a nurturing family environment. The creatures are preprogrammed mechanized puppets.

The Parasaurolophus is a unique-looking dinosaur with a prominent crest on its head about 6 feet in length. A plant eater millions of years ago, it was about 35 feet in length, 15 feet tall and weighed about 3 tons. It would have walked on four legs.

In connection with the exhibit, there are 20 hands-on activities, including build-your-own-dinosaur and a dig for eggs.

"We've wanted to get the dinosaurs here for 15 years," said Diane Grubb, the exhibit coordinator. "It's finally happening because we received a grant from the Ullrich Foundation and Main Street Bank & Trust, the foundation trustee.

"The dinosaurs will be here through Jan. 6. It's a family attraction. We anticipate families will come back again and again."

The exhibit is rented from WonderWorks Inc. of Abilene, Texas. Jack Hull, director of sales and finance, said this exhibit, created four years ago as a smaller version of baby dinosaurs in a prehistoric playground, is the only one of its kind.

Building an exhibit requires several major steps: Put it on paper, build a miniature model, build a full-size sculpture, create a mold and cast the body, build the animatronic components and then put it all together.

"We work with scientists who uncovered the dinosaur bones," Hull said.

WonderWorks has had animatronic dinosaur exhibits since the late 1980s.

Dinosaur special activities at the museum include:

n Sept. 29: Sleep with the dinosaurs, an overnight event, 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., for girls and boys ages 7 to 12. Preregistration and prepayment are required. The cost is $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers.

n Oct. 27 to 30: BOOseum, a walk in the dark with dinosaurs.

n Jan. 5: The Great Escape, kids night out.

Bob Fallstrom can be reached at bfallstrom@herald-review.com or 421-7981.