‘A Criminal Mind’ to attend dinosaur dig and ball ‘Dr. Spencer Ried’ of Criminal Minds to join celebrity crew at bonebed July 7, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GRANDE PRAIRIE – Matthew Gray Gubler, star of the hit TV show Criminal Minds, will be bringing his forensic abilities to Northern Alberta on July 21. He won’t be fighting crime, however, he’ll be hunting for dinosaurs. Gubler, who plays Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds, is also a well-known director and sketch artist. He will be joining such luminaries as Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon Aykroyd, Lorie Karnath, president of the Explorers Club and John Goldwyn, producer of such films as Baby Mama and MacGruber for the inaugural Aykroyd Family and Friends Dinosaur Ball and Celebrity Dino Dig. From July 21st to 23rd 2011, the city of Grande Prairie, AB will find itself crawling with celebrity superstars, palaeontologists from around the world, provincial and federal politicians and even a certain group of handsome crooners – The Canadian Tenors. This high-glamour crowd will be flying in to partake in a rather unique event – fossil hunting. After three days spent days excavating dinosaur fossils on bonebeds accessible only by helicopter and jetboat, Gubler and the other celebrities and guests will pull out their red carpet couture to attend the inaugural Aykroyd Family and Friends Dinosaur Ball on July 23rd. With Dan Aykroyd hosting, his wife Donna Dixon Aykroyd as event mastermind, The Canadian Tenors serenading the crowd and a silent auction that will be a spectacle in itself (including a piece of Gubler’s original art), this is a night that will resonate in the memories of the attendees for years. It all comes back to the dinosaurs. With some of the best fossil resources in the world – including the densest horned dinosaur bonebed worldwide – in the Peace Country, plans for a world-class, highly innovative museum are well underway. The goal of the weekend is to raise funds to complete the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum. Scheduled to open its doors Dec. 31, 2012, this remarkable facility will highlight the region’s internationally significant fossils and serve as a hub for learning, science and enjoyment. 1 Over the three days, media will be given access to the crews excavating dinosaur fossils on the bonebed, pre-arranged celebrity interview access and be invited to the red carpet to interview, photograph and film the hosts and attendees of the Dinosaur Ball on July 23. -30- For more information and to reserve media passes, please contact: Erika Sherk, Communications and Marketing Manager Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Initiative phone: (780) 532-2362 x. 5 mobile: (780) 512-6113 email: [email protected] The Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Initiative is developing, protecting and discovering Northwest Alberta’s significant paleontological resources through education, entertainment and the pursuit of scientific inquiry and innovative exhibits. 2 .