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CONSERVATION CORNER
(For the week of October 12, 2009)
Great Delta Bear Affair
by James L. Cummins

The Teddy Bear and the South Delta goes hand in hand. Rolling Fork, Mississippi will be the site of a national celebration – the 8th Annual Great Delta Bear Affair. This year's theme will be "Just Another Day in Bearadise." The festival will be held on Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 a.m. until dark on the grounds of the Sharkey County courthouse. Rolling Fork is located on Highway 61 approximately 45 minutes south of Greenville and 45 minutes north of Vicksburg.

The main purposes of the festival are to raise awareness about the plight of the black bear in Mississippi, highlight our state's bountiful natural resources along with its cultural and historical heritage and commemorate Theodore Roosevelt's famous 1902 bear hunt that gave rise to the Teddy bear.

President Theodore Roosevelt and his savvy guide, Holt Collier, tromped through the woods of Sharkey County in search of bears. They found one, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Great Delta Bear Affair is one of the most unique festivals in the Delta.

Many people attend the annual festival each fall and enjoy many seminars, special events and other various entertainments. At the Sharkey-Issaquena Library, there will be storytelling with Doris Jones at 10:30 followed by a live snake presentation with Terry Vandeventer at 11:30 and a seminar on black bear research at 1:30 with Brad Young, a black bear biologist with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Other events this year include a 5K Run/Walk, the Black Bear Bicycle Ride and the ever popular chainsaw woodcarving demonstrations throughout the day by Dayton Scoggins. New for this year will be a children’s 1 Mile Fun Run that will begin at 9:00 a.m.

There will be Prehistoric Mound driving tours at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., which will begin at the USDA building located on Frontage Road just off Highway 61.

Entertainment on the main stage will kick off at 9:00 a.m. with the Sharkey-Issaquena Mass Choir and will conclude at 7:00 p.m. with an amazing display of fireworks. During the day, there will be other entertainment which includes Eden Brent, the King Edward Blues band, Shadz of Grey, Tim Johnson as Elvis, Tea & Sympathy, the Grayhounds and more. Food, arts and crafts vendors and other exhibits will open at 9:00 that morning. There will be a bungee jump, super slide, space jump, obstacle course and rock climbing wall for the children starting at 10:00 a.m. and concluding at 4:00 p.m. The day will end with a much anticipated fireworks show just after dark.

Since 2002, the Great Delta Bear Affair has helped educate many people about the history and current status of the endangered black bear in Mississippi. Make time to take part in this celebration that promotes the return of the Louisiana black bear to Mississippi. For more information about the festival, call (662) 873-6261.