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Smokey Bear's Birthday Party
Saturday, August 07, 2010

11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Location: Cradle of Forestry

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11:00 - Welcome, children's music, Smokey Bear Song.
11:00-12:30: Smokey Bear games and crafts
11:15 – Smokey arrives to greet his friends
11:30 - Songs about Smokey’s forests and animal friends; prize drawings begin  
12:25- Smokey returns after visiting his forest
12:30- Happy Birthday Song and cake serving begins
12:35 – More prizes called and grand prize (Smokey doll)
1:00 – Games and crafts end; party-goers are invited to explore the Forest       Discovery Center
1:30- 2:30 Live animal program with Carolina Mountain Naturalists in the Forest Discovery Center’s Perkins Room.

Pisgah Forest, NC . . .

  Smokey Bear turns 66 years old this year and the Cradle of Forestry will be hosting his birthday party on Saturday, August 7, from 11:00 a.m.-2:30
p.m.  The fire prevention bear will help cut his birthday cake and meet and greet his friends during the celebration. Admission fee is $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for youth ages 4-15 and America the Beautiful and Golden Age pass holders. Children under four years old are admitted free. Smokey’s Birthday Party is an official event of the Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary.

   Activities during Smokey Bear’s Birthday Party are held in front of the Forest Discovery Center, indoors if it is raining. They include music, making birthday cards, fire fighting equipment demonstrations, Smokey Bingo, Pin the Pail on the Campfire, prize drawings, birthday cake, and of course, Smokey Bear. Party favor bags for children include a little book “The True Story of Smokey Bear,” the Smokey Bear song, and Smokey memorabilia. Families are welcome to pack a picnic. The Forest Bounty Café offers light snacks, pizza, ice cream, and drinks.

  At 1:30 the party moves indoors for a live animal program presented by Carolina Mountain Naturalists. Meet native amphibians, reptiles, and birds and learn about their lives in Smokey’s woods.

   Throughout the day guests are invited to enjoy all the Cradle of Forestry has to offer. Visitors can explore the 15 hands-on exhibits in the Forest Discovery Center, including the firefighting helicopter simulator and the scavenger hunt. A collection of Smokey artwork by Rudy Wendelin, famed Smokey Bear illustrator who created Smokey’s image as we know him today, is on display. The new film “There’s Magic at the Cradle” is a fable about a young girl who learns to care about the forest. The Adventure Zone offers exploration and play designed for children along the autism spectrum yet available for all. Smokey’s party, the Forest Discovery Center, and the Cradle’s two interpretive trails are accessible to wheelchairs and strollers.

   Smokey Bear has been a symbol of fire safety and fire prevention since 1944. The purpose of the Smokey program is to create and maintain public awareness about the need to prevent unplanned, human-caused wildland fires. Smokey's task is becoming increasingly difficult. In years past it was a challenge for his message to reach traditional visitors to the forest.

  Now across the nation fire officials are faced with getting Smokey’s wildfire prevention message to an increasing number of people who live in and around forested areas. This "wildland-urban interface" poses a double threat; from people living in or near forests who may accidentally start fires that spread to the wildlands as well as from accidental fires started in the wild that spread to nearby residences. In either case, the result is potentially disastrous and especially tragic because it is preventable.                

  The Cradle of Forestry is located on U.S. Highway 276 in the Pisgah National Forest along the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway, six miles north of Looking Glass Falls and four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 412. Other family activities along Highway 276 include: camping, hiking, fishing, tubing, swimming, horseback riding, the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information call the Cradle of Forestry at (828) 877-3130

For more information about Smokey Bear visit www.smokeybear.com.

Admission for this event is $6.00 for ages 16 and older and $3.00 for youth 15 and under and America The Beautiful and Golden Age pass holders.

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