Great Delta Bear Affair 2019 will give back to the Sharkey-Issaquena community by pledging all donations collected at the entrances to the festival area to help those affected by this year’s months-long flood. With hundreds of homes affected by the Yazoo backwater flood, a long-term recovery fund has been established through the Community Foundation for Washington County. Any money donated to this fund will go to help people in Sharkey, Issaquena and Humphreys counties who are uninsured, … [Read more...] about Bear Affair Pledges Money to Flood Recovery
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Governor Bryant Proclaims Teddy Bear Day in Mississippi
In honor of the historic black bear hunt by President Theodore Roosevelt, the teddy bear, and The Great Delta Bear Affair, Governor Phil Bryant has proclaimed October 27, 2018 as Teddy Bear Day in Mississippi! ---------------- WHEREAS, in 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt went to the Mississippi Delta to hunt black bear, but he refused to shoot a tethered bear; and WHEREAS, a political cartoon memorialized this incident for posterity; and WHEREAS, the owner of a New York City toy … [Read more...] about Governor Bryant Proclaims Teddy Bear Day in Mississippi
Great Delta Bear Affair Contributes Public Art to Rolling Fork
Imagine taking a 12-foot cypress stump and using a chainsaw to create an incredible piece of art. The chainsaw artistry of Dayton Scoggins and his business, Artistry in Wood is visible throughout the city of Rolling Fork as evidence of past Great Delta Bear Affair festivals, and each year a new bear sculpture is added to the count. Dayton Scoggins - Chainsaw Carver Scoggins, a widely respected chainsaw artist from Sandersville, Mississippi, has earned several national and international titles … [Read more...] about Great Delta Bear Affair Contributes Public Art to Rolling Fork
The Incredible Holt Collier
Born a slave in 1846, Holt Collier lived a most extraordinary life for all of his 90 years. In fact, his story is so interesting that while researching the origin of the Teddy Bear, following an innocent question from his daughter, author Minor Buchanon decided that Collier’s life needed to be documented and that’s just what he did in the biography: Holt Collier: His Life, His Roosevelt Hunts, and the Origin of the Teddy Bear. This well researched book documents all of the ins and outs of his … [Read more...] about The Incredible Holt Collier
Have your Class Reunion at the Bear Affair
The Great Delta Bear Affair provides a great venue for your next class reunion. There's great live music, easily accessible food, games and activities for children and we will provide you a space for your class to gather and reminisce! There are a limited number of spaces available for reunion groups to rent on the courthouse lawn. For a $30.00 fee, we provide the space, you bring the tent and chairs and anything else you may want or need. For more information contact the Great Delta Bear … [Read more...] about Have your Class Reunion at the Bear Affair
Teddy Bears for Kids
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 … [Read more...] about Teddy Bears for Kids
