Smokey Bear celebrated his 80th birthday in style with a party on Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the historic Big Pines Visitor Center, which also marked its 100th anniversary in July, located in the Angeles National Forest. With arts and crafts, museum tours, birthday cake, and a visit from Smokey himself, there was no shortage of fun at the event.
Engine 338 from U.S. Forest Service Station 38 joined the celebration, allowing guests to peek inside the fire truck while learning how it works. They also set up a table with various goodies for guests, including 80th-anniversary pins, Smokey scarves, rubber bracelets with “Smokey’s Friend” and “I Heart Smokey” on them, rulers, pencils, a comic book depicting the real story of Smokey Bear, and a coloring book, all spreading the message of preventing wildfires.
Volunteers of the Angeles National Forest kept the fun going with tables along the front walkway of the visitor center, where kids could craft paper bag animals, create wooden necklaces, and color a birthday picture with Smokey and friends. The volunteers also gave tours of the museum inside the Big Pines Visitor Center, which features an array of taxidermy animals found in the forest. It’s a wonderful way to get an up-close look at these beautiful creatures that should not be approached in the wild.
On the back side of the visitor center, guests were greeted by the sweet smell of cake, which was available for everyone. The Forest Service had a booth with several types of trees, from saplings to a few years old, available for free. I DYED participated in the festivities, offering kids the chance to express their inner animals with face painting, and Slithers and Crawls had a booth with native animals, from spiders to snakes, for up-close viewing. If you were brave enough, you could even let a blue death-feigning beetle crawl on your hand.
The party wouldn’t be complete without a chance to meet Smokey Bear in person! Shortly after his arrival, he found a cozy spot inside the great hall to meet all his adoring guests. Although the line was long, it moved quickly. “Smokey Bear is the best! Especially when he teaches us about preventing wildfires,” one young guest said after meeting him.
The fictional character of Smokey Bear was created in 1944 by Albert Staehle for the USDA Forest Service as a symbol of forest fire prevention. It wasn’t until 1950, during a wildfire in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, that firefighters rescued a young bear cub, who became the real-life living symbol Smokey Bear, after climbing a tree to escape the fire despite his badly burned paws and hind legs. After being nursed back to health, Smokey lived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., until he passed in 1976.
Smokey’s catchphrase has changed a few times since his creation. The original, back in 1944, was “Smokey Says – Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires.” Then in 1947, it changed to “Remember…Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires.” In 2001, it was updated to its current version, “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.”
While this celebration lasted only a few hours, the festivities for Smokey turning 80 and continuing to spread the word about preventing human-caused wildfires started in January with a float at the Tournament of Roses Parade and will continue throughout the year. You can catch him in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and at the lighting of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. For more information about Smokey Bear, visit https://www.smokeybear.com/.
