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On Saturday, October 28, Rolling Fork will once again play host to the Great Delta Bear Affair. This fun festival commemorates President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous bear hunt that led to the creation of the Teddy Bear and was guided by Mississippi native, Holt Collier. President Roosevelt and Holt Collier (living historians) will be in attendance at the 16^th annual festival. Additionally there will be a great many activities, something for everyone, throughout the day.

At 9 a.m. the Teddy Bear 5K Run/Walk will kick off as a costume run. Wear your favorite costume and enjoy the great fall weather as you run (or walk) the streets of Rolling Fork. Arts & Crafts and Food Vendors will be set up around the downtown square as will educational booths. Percy King will have his fascinating animals for folks to pet, hold and learn about on the courthouse lawn. At 10 and 2 history buffs may want to take part in the Archaeological Mound Tours led by Sam Brookes from the Rolling Fork Visitors Center, or you may want to take in the Shriner’s Clowns and Terry Vandeventer with his Mississippi Snakes at the Library courtyard.

A day of live music from the Main Stage will begin at 9:30 with the Bolton Family Gospel Choir from nearby Hollandale. The Boltons will be followed by great acts all day including Heart Society (formerly known as Teneia), Tim Johnson as Elvis, Keith Johnson & the Big Muddy Band, Otis Redding III, Jeff Bates and of course it will all wind up with our “house band” The Grayhounds playing as a fantastic fireworks show by PyroFire, Inc. lights up the sky.

There will be games for children, and the Artistry in Wood carvers will be creating another fabulous carved bear to add to our public art collection in Rolling Fork. Selfie seekers will want to participate in the Selfie Scavenger Hunt that encourages finding specific festival photo ops and getting a picture to post on Instagram. And no one will want to miss the Chuckburger Eating Contest on the Main Stage at noon!

As you can tell, there is something for everyone at the Great Delta Bear Affair. Visit www.greatdeltabearaffair.org for more information on all festival activities, and come join the “BearCentennial Celebration” in Rolling Fork on October 28.

In the year 1817, Mississippi became the 2oth state to join the Union.  In 2017, Mississippi is celebrating its Bicentennial with a variety of events across this great state.  The Great Delta Bear Affair will be a part of that celebration by hosting its own “BearCentennial” .  Join us in Rolling Fork on October 28 for “A BearCentennial Celebration”.  There will be food, fun, music, vendors, and more – all capped off with an awesome fireworks show. So, mark your calendars and make plans to celebrate the BearCentennial in Rolling Fork!

Each October during the week of the Great Delta Bear Affair, volunteers join with Teddy Roosevelt impersonator Case Hicks to donate Teddy bears to the patients at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson. In character, “Mr. President” hand delivers bears to patients and visits with them and their families throughout the hospital and its cancer clinic. Since 2012, the students at Sharkey-Issaquena Academy in Rolling Fork have helped raise money to take part in the GDBA Teddy Bears for Kids project.

On the Friday before the Great Delta Bear Affair festival, Youth Education Day is held for over 500 area fourth graders. School children are led through different stations where natural resource professionals engage them in discussions, games, activities and presentations related to wildlife, our environment and our natural resources. The Sharkey/Issaquena NRCS Soil and Water Conservation District partners with the Great Delta Bear Affair planning committee to coordinate the event.