Dinosaurs are back—but this time, they’re not munching leaves or chasing scientists in jeeps. They’re clanking, gleaming, and ready to impress. Scraposaurs is stomping into the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley gardens from April 1 through October 19, 2025.
These towering titans aren’t your typical fossilized finds. They’re all made from scrap metal and found objects. Created by Minnesota artist Dale Lewis, the exhibit features some jaw-dropping, toe-stubbing creations.
Leading the pack is Stanley the Stegosaurus. He’s an 18-foot-long giant with plates so sharp-looking you’ll instinctively take a step back (don’t worry, he’s friendly). Then see an 1,800-pound T. rex with ribs and teeth made from a John Deere rotary hoe. Nothing says apex predator like repurposed farm equipment. And let’s not forget the woolly rhino, sporting hundreds of pounds of tie wire “hair,” making it officially the shaggiest sculpture in the garden.
Each piece blends art, history, and “Wait, is that a muffler for a tail?” It’s an exhibition that will captivate kids, impress adults, and give every dad endless opportunities for terrible puns about “rusty old relics.”
So, grab your camera, your sense of wonder, and maybe some WD-40 (just in case). The Scraposaurs are waiting in the MSV’s 7-acre gardens, ready to prove that one person’s junk is another’s Jurassic masterpiece.
For more information, visit https://www.themsv.org/events/scraposaurs/
