“Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear.
Prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air.
He can find a fire before it starts to flame.
That's why they call him Smokey,
That was how he got his name.”
From “Smokey the Bear Song”
by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins
In observance of Smokey Bear Week in International Falls and as part of the iconic symbol’s 65th birthday celebration, members of the community gathered Wednesday at Smokey Bear Park to celebrate the bear’s legacy of preventing wildfires and its special history in this area.
Despite intermittent rain, many residents turned out for the celebration to enjoy the activities and the hot dog and birthday cake dinner.
The event was complete with an appearance from Smokey Bear, much to the delight of the young and young at heart. Smokey went throughout the park, hugging, high-fiving and posing for pictures with well wishers.
Children also climbed onto the likeness of the bear for photo opportunities. The statue was decorated especially for the birthday celebration.
Children took part in gunny sack races, entered into coloring contests for different age ranges, sported temporary tattoos of the bear, received gift bags from the Department of Natural Resources and saplings from Forest Capital Partners, and toured a pair of fire trucks.
The event was sponsored by the city of International Falls, the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Koochiching County and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The event was held in conjunction with the International Falls Public Library’s story time for kids and the Concert in the Park series.
The 31-foot-tall statue of the bear and two cubs on a tree stump in Smokey Bear Park was dedicated on Oct. 13, 1954, 10 years after the character became a nation-wide spokesman for fire prevention.
His famous line, “Only you can help prevent forest fires,” is etched into the base of the statue and is one of the most recognizable slogans.
At that time, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent his congratulations to the Keep Minnesota Green committee and conservation-minded Koochiching County residents. The Keep Minnesota Green program was similarly dedicated to wildfire prevention and was instrumental in the realization of the statue.
