Sebastián García Ortíz, 7, sorts sea fossils from the Ordovician period. —Lexi Pline
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Despite bad weather, the ninth annual Fossil Day at the Oak Bluffs library was a hit among fossil enthusiasts young and old. National Fossil Day, which is part of the National Park Service’s Earth Science Week, encourages everyone to get hands-on with archeology and paleontology. The Oak Bluffs library brought in collectors and educators from all across the Island to display fossils and interesting pieces from their collections.  The event is organized by Fred Hotchkiss, a.k.a. “Fossil Fred,” an archeologist from the Paleontological Research Institute of Vineyard Haven, in the hopes of getting people, especially young people, interested in the sciences. “Getting to see these fossils up-close helps kids think about a career in STEM,” he said. The event originally planned to have guest presenters from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), Harvard, and Yale, but they were held up by boat cancellations and were unable to attend. “They really wanted to be here; even with the bad weather they went to Woods Hole and were waiting all day,” said Hotchkiss.