Dinosaurs burst into spring break at Eudora Farms in Salley

Bill Bengtson, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read

Apr. 7—SALLEY — "Mr. Ed" appreciates the legacies of Fred Rogers and Bob Keeshan ("Captain Kangaroo"), and applies some of their concepts in his daily presentations to kids, with a tip of the hat to the "Jurassic Park" series of movies.

Ed Bounds, better known to kids by his stage name, is visiting Aiken County this week as the owner of "Ed's Dinosaurs Live," covering an acre of Eudora Farms, where camels, zebras and ostriches roam the fields and hills. The Marine Corps veteran, however, is more focused on on what kids might learn from a tyrannosaurus, stegosaurus or ankylosaurus.

Bounds is based in Concord, North Carolina, and is camped out at Eudora Farms for four daily shows through Sunday, April 10. After a recent show, he touched on his approach to educating and entertaining kids, confirming his desire "to touch their hearts."

"I want to try to do, really, what Fred Rogers and Captain Kangaroo did for me when I was a little boy, and let me know somebody cares and that somebody wants them to know some cool things, and that they matter," he said. "That's what we really want to do. Touch the kids in the heart, and let them know they we are about them, and use the dinosaurs as the medium to make that happen, because they love dinosaurs."

One inflatable part of his display — a brontosaurus — reaches near the treeline, and others are a little more accessible, such as Bounds' "dinosaur babies," presented through puppetry techniques.

Bounds recalled a quote from astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, noting that "kids love sharks and dinosaurs because they can eat us."

"I don't know," Bounds said. "I just know they love them."

Bounds said he and his crew travel widely.

"We do library shows. We do YMCA programs. We do summer camps," he said. "We take moms that are home schooling, and we'll get maybe a group of 10 of them together and do something for them, too."

The park, at 219 Salem Lane, is open daily this time of year, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and dinosaur shows are at 11 a.m., 1 p.m, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The overall facility has expanded its offerings during the past couple of years and now includes a drive-through safari, in addition to the chance to be face-to-face with such animals as parakeets and lemurs.

For more information, call 803-606-6325 or visit eudorafarms.net.