I had a great time at the first Permian Fest back in 2023, and so it was a given that I would be attending the next one! Permian Fest 2025 was every bit as entertaining, and it coincided with the unveiling of a major expansion to the The Whiteside Museum, which hosts the event.
The main portion of the event ran from June 6-8, which is when the lectures and vendor stalls were scheduled for. As with the last Permian Fest, a dinner party was held on the 5th, and several digsite workshops were scheduled for the week following, but I did not attend either of those extra events this time. (I really should try and make it to the dinner if they do that again next time!) Most of the speakers were return guests, with Dr. Jim Kirkland joining the lineup this time around.
Friday’s lectures were given by Myria Perez, Dr. Scott Persons, and Dr. Amelia Zietlow (who also is part of the Skeleton Crew). I live about three hours away from Seymour, Texas, and I didn’t manage to get up before 6:00 AM, so I sadly missed the first two lectures of the event. I did make it just in time to hear Dr. Zietlow’s talk on mosasaurs, though I can’t say too much about her fascinating findings as the research is still under embargo.
Cate Larson and Dr. Jim Kirkland delivered the first two lectures on Saturday, on the Permian mass extinction and the Cedar Mountain Formation, respectively. The famous Dr. Bob Bakker was scheduled to give a talk as well, but was unfortunately unable to make it, and so Dr. Scott Persons pulled double duty and delivered Bakker’s presentation instead.
After patiently sitting through the lectures, my kids were eager to check out the vendor tent, so we went there first before exploring the museum. There were several fossil vendors, and creators of various interesting other products. Stockton Skulls returned, and gummmydragon had a stall there, too. My boys were particularly excited to see her again; the Banana Brachiosaurus we purchased from her at a previous Fossilmania has been well-loved, and they were insistent on completing our Fruitasaur collection with a Watermelon Stegosaurus and a Strawberry Carnotaurus. A few clubs and non-profits had stalls as well, including the Dallas Paleontological Society, of course.
As for the museum expansion, the floor space has doubled, allowing for far more specimens to be displayed. The front of the museum has been reorganized, with a tighter focus on the local Permian fauna, and the paleo lab has been redesigned to allow greater interaction with the public.
Two entire halls have been added in the new wing of the museum; the Bakker Hall of Dinosaurs, and the Sundell Hall of Mammals. The pre-existing dinosaur fossils & models and the mammal taxidermies have been relocated to these areas, with plenty of new companions alongside them. The centerpiece of the Bakker Hall of Dinosaurs is a gorgeous Ceratosaurus skeleton, and a majestic Columbian Mammoth towers over the Sundell Hall of Mammals. All the new spaces have lots to see, and while I already loved the Whiteside for what it was, I think they have dramatically increased its value and appeal with this expansion.
All in all, Permian Fest 2025 was a great experience. The Whiteside Museum has created a fun tradition with this event, and keeps finding new ways of bringing me back to visit. I look forward to the third Permian Fest next year, and am excited to see what they have in store for us next time! If you haven’t already, consider checking out my review of the first Permian Fest, as well as other similar events I’ve attended, such as TetZooCon, Fossilmania, and PaleostreamCon.
Dino Dad Reviews 