A 27 million dollar creation ‘museum’ in Kentucky opened to media fanfare last weekend.

Canada’s version, Big Valley Creation Science Museum will be opening June 5th to a lot less.  It is a private endeavour by Albertan Harry Nibourg. Big Valley is a town of 400.

What Mr. Nilbourg lacks in publicity, he makes up for with enthusiasm. He spent 3 hundred thousand dollars building his creation during his spare time. Without help and donations he estimates it would have cost 3 times that. Nilbourg works in the Alberta oil industry.

A fraction of the size and scope of the US$27-million creationist attraction opened this week in Kentucky, Mr. Nibourg’s exhibit does an admirable job of mimicking the academic presentation of larger museums.

There is neither the floor space nor budget for virtual reality experiences, light shows or animatronics. But visitors might enjoy seeing a giant-sized model of a DNA strand (with explanations of why genetic mutation is innately unnatural) and a big plastic Ammonite and Coelacanth (the deepdiving shellfish to demonstrate that such “carefully designed” organisms could not be the product of “random evolution;” the lobefinned fish, wrongly thought to have gone extinct 70 million years ago, to prove the erroneousness of many evolutionary assertions).

A wall of displays featuring models of stalactites, “fossilized” teddy bears and iron pots discovered in million-year-old rock formations supposedly undermine scientific assumptions about geological ageing.

There is a mahogany model of Noah’s Ark, complete with answers to frequently asked questions about the flood-rescue operation, including, “How did they keep the lions from eating the sheep?” (Noah stuck mostly with baby animals and fed them plants), and “Did Noah bring dinosaurs?” (Yes).

There is a giant version of the protozoa’s flagellum, with a working crank for visitors to test drive the Master Designer’s master handiwork. And everywhere, dinosaurs — which, we’re informed, lived on Earth as recently as a few hundred years ago.

There’s a basketful of dinosaur eggs and photos of ancient drawings of dinosaurs (indicating our ancestors must have laid eyes on the terrible lizards). And three-toed dino-prints, all over the lawn and the floor of the museum.

“It’s really just for the kids,” Mr. Nibourg finally pauses to explain. “The kids like the dinosaurs.”

Just a few miles east of the Salem Acres Bible Camp, along the Boomtown Trail — Alberta’s strip of rural tourist attractions, stretching from Drumheller’s Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology north to Donalda’s world’s largest lamp — the Big Valley Creation Science Museum is in the right spot to draw plenty of gawkers. 

Nilbourg is in the process of registering his exhibit as a charity. Cost of admission is $5.00 per adult, $3.00 for children and seniors and $15.00 for a family. The grand opening will be in July. Details here.

Understanding creationists