Bring the kids and join the fun as the US Forest Service, Friends of Fort Vancouver, and National Park Service celebrate the 73rd birthday of Smokey Bear at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center. This free event will begin at 1 pm on Saturday, August 12, 2017.
A short film about the return of life to Mount St. Helens after its eruption in 1980 will be shown in the Visitor Center theater. The Friends will be providing cake and lemonade as part of the celebration. Smokey Bear himself will also be in attendance. Smokey Bear-themed items will also be for sale in the Friends of Fort Vancouver Bookstore.
The real Smokey Bear was saved in a wildfire in New Mexico and was first called “Hotfoot Teddy,” — his paws were badly burned when he clung to a smoking, burned out tree. Since then, Smokey has been promoting fire safety in our public lands for several decades and has become a national icon in doing so.
Said Gifford Pinchot National Forest Service Visitors Service Information Assistant Zach Teel, “We love these public interactions with the community, especially young people, as they represent our future. It’s important to promote fire safety as well as a general forest ethic in kids, and especially to make it fun and engaging!”
The Fort Vancouver Visitor Center is located at 1501 East Evergreen Blvd 98661. For more information, contact Zach Teel at 360-891-5001.
