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Community Corner

Fossils in Maryland

One local couple brings an informative presentation to the Parkville Senior Center.

Married for more than 30 years, Joy and Tom Piscitelli have a shared interest and mission since retirement: presenting programs about fossils.

On July 12, these members of the Parkville Senior Center provided a hands-on presentation on fossils and Maryland's prehistory, dating back to the trilobites of 500,000,000 years ago.

"We started this program in our grandchildren's elementary school and present only a couple times a year," said Joy Piscitelli.

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It's a hobby and passion for Tom, an animated lover of fossils.  

The couple like the idea of sparking the interest of others in this science and hope that people of all ages will learn a little from their presentation.

Some seniors brought their grandchildren and some came out of a love of science. Kids enjoyed a fossil-finding dig with tweezers, and others sketched drawings of their favorite artifacts.

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A retired social service worker for Baltimore, Tom Piscitelli is a font of knowledge where fossils are concerned. His wife assists with organizing the rocks and samples, and in keeping him on track.

The program began with samples of different types of rocks and modern uses. An obsidian sample was passed around and Piscitelli informed the audience that scalpels are now made from obsidian rocks.

Other rock samples such as lava drops, rock art, quarts, pumice stones and metamorphic crystals were offered for inspection.

Topics also included Maryland's sites for discovery of prehistoric fossils and geological formations, such as Calvert Cliffs (a hotbed of fossil discovery) and Western Maryland's Sideling Hill, near Rocky Gap.

By the end of the Piscitellis' presentation, the kids in the group were talking about finding fossils for themselves.  

If creating interest in fossils within the community is their goal, it is clear the Piscitellis' mission was accomplished this week in Parkville.

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