ROYAL - The University of Nebraska State Museum and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will dedicate the new Hubbard Rhino Barn at Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park near Royal on Friday.

The private event will officially mark the opening of the 17,500-square-foot facility, which protects the rare fossil bed and allows researchers to further explore one of Nebraska's treasured scientific discoveries.

The dedication event recognizes the Theodore F. and Claire M. Hubbard Family Foundation of Omaha, which provided a $1.2 million gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation for construction of the facility.

Speakers at the event will include Harvey Perlman, chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Harold W. Andersen, retired publisher and CEO of the Omaha World-Herald Co.; Priscilla Grew, director of the University of Nebraska State Museum; Rex Amack, director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; and Clarence Castner, president of the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, two miles west and six miles north of Royal, is a joint project of the State Museum and Game and Parks. It contains skeletons of extinct rhinos, camels and horses in the volcanic ash that killed them 12 million years ago. It is a National Natural Landmark as designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

In an earlier Journal Star story, Grew said the Hubbard Rhino Barn will allow for decades of excavation, expansion of the display of fossil skeletons and conservation of the state's unique fossil resource.

"This magnificent gift will enable our paleontologists to uncover new fossil discoveries and will provide protection so that the fragile exposed area of the fossil bed can be enlarged by careful scientific excavation over the coming decades," Grew said. "Visitors and school groups will be able to watch paleontologists at work on the fossils, sharing in the excitement and thrill of their discovery."

Although Friday's dedication ceremony is private, the park itself will be open to the public throughout the weekend. From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, Ashfall is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

For directions and other information, visit www.ashfall.unl.edu.