Fundraiser For Dino The Dinosaur's Makeover On Tap For Feb. 20

BAYVILLE, NJ - Dino the Bayville dinosaur needs your help.

The battered Bayville landmark had his head removed and his body covered in shrink wrap several years ago to keep him safe from bad weather and the perils of Route 9. He's still waiting for his new look.

And his friends, members of the Save the Dinosaur Committee, the Berkeley Township Historical Society and the Central Ocean Business Association will hold what they hope will be the last fundraiser needed for his restoration on Feb. 20.

The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Heritage Square Professional Building, Unit 1 at 510 Route 9 in Bayville. Wine, soft drinks, hot appetizers, cheese, coffee and dessert will be served.

Supporters are asking for a $10 donation to help finish up the restoration project. You can pay at the door the night of the event. If you can't attend, you can still send a check to the Berkeley Township Historical Society at P.O. Box 9, Bayville, NJ or the Berkeley Township Recreation Department. Please write "Save the Dino Fund" in the memo section of the check.

Artist Shannon MacDonald, formerly of Bayville, was hired to do the project for $15,000. The Committee paid her $5,000 and has about $7,000 in donations in the bank.

"...so we hope to raise enough to cover the balance of the agreement ($3,000) and some extra for other needs..." said Committee member Steve Baeli.

A tent to cover Dino while he's being worked on and some other incidentals are also included in the restoration project price, he said.

"If our goal is reached, this will be the last fundraiser needed," Baeli said.

Baeli met last year with Anthony and Lisa Zangari, the new owners of the renovated 10,000 square-foot professional center and MacDonald, the artist charged with Dino's redesign.

"The consensus was that the rendering was excellent, both artistically and historically, as it balanced and melded those two vital elements in a way that complimented each other," Baeli has said. "The current vision will address the positioning of the head in a very artistic and majestic manner that will bring it back off the highway and out of the line of traffic."

Dino has a long history in Bayville. He's been perched in various incarnations in front of the building since 1935, when William Farrow bought him for $5 and set Dino up as an advertisement for his taxidermy business.

Baeli wrote a column from Dino's point of view several years ago. To read it, click here.

Flier: Courtesy of Save the Dino Committee, photo: Patricia A. Miller