People were feverishly excited when the dinosaur park was almost ready to open. Hawkins decided to celebrate by throwing a now-famous party on New Year’s Eve, 1853. He sent astonishing invitations to famous scientists and business leaders. Newspapers gushed about these cards, whose request for the honor of each guest’s company was written on the wing of a pterodactyl. Even more amazing, the cards boasted that the lavish dinner would be served inside the Iguanodon!
The dinner was a huge success. Around 20 celebrity guests joined Hawkins for a seven-course meal. Guest of honor Richard Owen sat proudly at the head of a table set up inside the mold used to cast the huge cement dinosaur. Owen gave a speech praising the scientific accuracy of Hawkins’ work. He said Hawkins combined the “rarely-united capabilities of an anatomist, a naturalist, and a practical artist.”