The ETSU and General Shale Brick Natural History Museum at the Gray Fossil Site will celebrate the first National Fossil Day on Saturday, October 8th by offering behind-the-scenes guided tours, a free fun fossil talk and other free activities open to the public on this special day. National Fossil Day is a celebration organized by the National Park Service and the American Geological Institute to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of their scientific and educational value. National Fossil Day takes place during International Earth Science Week sponsored by the American Geological Institute. Links to National Fossil Day can be found at www.earthsciweek.org and the museum website. The museum will offer a chance for visitors to go “behind-the-scenes” in the Paleontology Lab and Collections Area at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Visitors can also try their hand at finding micro fossils-- both marine specimens from Aurora, N.C., and Miocene-aged fossils from the Gray Fossil Site, at picking stations throughout the day. The “Create-a-Cast” program, allowing visitors to take home their very own plaster fossil cast will be offered free of charge at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Resin-casting demos will also be shown in the Basler Exhibit Hall Lab, showing how plastic casts are created for museum displays. At 3 p.m., Dr. Michael Whitelaw, Geologist and Associate Professor of Geology at ETSU, will present a free talk titled “What’s in a Fossil Name?” in the Eastman Credit Union Multi-Media Classroom. The ETSU and GSB Natural History Museum is located 1.8 miles from the I-26 Gray Exit 13. For information on the museum or the National Fossil Day event, call toll-free 866-202-6223 or visit www.grayfossilmuseum.com.