Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Last Thursday, the day before his official August 9 birthday, Smokey Bear celebrated his 80th in style at the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center.
Protected from the scattered rain showers under the picnic pavilion, Smokey fans enjoyed several activities including hearing the story of Smokey’s life, making bear-shaped cookies, and coloring flat Smokey that children could take with them – and a snake show with Roy Moose.
And cake. Of course, there was a large birthday cake with photos of Smokey with U.S. Forest Ranger Jason Hattersly. The photos were taken at the Cherry River Festival where Smokey served as the parade marshal.
Smokey Bear first appeared in a U.S. Forest Service Wildfire Prevention Campaign in 1944. Six years later, the icon gained a living symbol when a three-month-old black bear was rescued from a forest fire in the Capitan Mountains in New Mexico in 1950.
Forest Service conservation educator Kelly Perrine used a beautifully illustrated story book to tell the story of the young cub who became the living embodiment of Smokey.
The small cub was discovered, cowering in a tree with burns on his paws and hind legs. His burns were treated and bandaged and he was taken in by the U.S. Forest Service. The cub quickly became famous and he was flown to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where he lived out the rest of days as the living symbol of Smokey Bear.
Smokey became a spokes-animal for the Forest Service with his “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” slogan which is now “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.”
A Beckley family, with a big Smokey fan in tow, attended the festivities.
Keith and Melissa Cooper brought their granddaughters, Emily, 9, and Kinley, 8, who enjoyed the activities and were excited to meet Smokey.
Melissa, who was wearing a Smokey Bear shirt, was also excited to see the iconic bear once again. She explained that she had a photo of her with Smokey from 1978 that she wanted to recreate at the party.
She did just that after Smokey arrived to the picnic pavilion in style, riding in the 1957 Chevrolet 6500 tanker truck. The truck has been on loan to the Monongahela National Forest for the past month from the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Virginia.
The truck has been to Pioneer Days, the Cherry River Festival and the West Virginia State Fair, chauffeuring Smokey around for his celebratory year.
After everyone in attendance got a picture with Smokey in front of the antique truck, it was time to sing “Happy Birthday” and to cut the cake.
It was a grand party for an beloved figure who has warmed the hearts of young and old for the past 80 years.
Dressed in his traditional blue jeans and forest ranger hat, Smokey Bear continues to be a reminder that those who visit the forests of this country need to be safe and protect the animals, flora and fauna that call the forests home.
