With all the little fingers tweaking his nose and casually stroking his hat brim, it was hard to be sure whether Smokey Bear’s message was getting through.
Passing around a stuffed and somewhat shorter version of Smokey, a group of young children listened to a short story about Smokey and watched a nature video on bears at Smokey’s 50th birthday celebration Tuesday in the Lisle Public Library.
Smokey was initially created in World War II as part of a campaign by the U.S. Forest Service. At the time, there were fears that enemy submarines might set forests ablaze, destroying trees that were needed as a resource, said Debbie Ruddock, the birthday party’s leader and a former forest ranger.
Then in 1950, a tiny bear cub was rescued in a forest fire in New Mexico and anointed as Smokey Bear. He lived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., Ruddock told the children.
And for generations, Smokey’s message-“Only you can prevent forest fires”-has remained the same.
Along the way, Ruddock told her young audience, Smokey acquired his own ZIP code, had his image placed on a patch that forest rangers wear and has a museum named for him.
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Bits and pieces of Smokey’s message seemed to get through to some of the partygoers.
A chorus of “prevent forest fires” was recited by 5-year-old twins Abby and Tanya Tainter and their friend Jessica Kocemba.
One of Jessica’s brothers had his own solution on how to prevent forest fires.
For 9-year-old Jacob Kocemba, it would be just like at home. “I have this grill thing outside at home for burning wood. I always keep a cup of water there to pour on it.”
And if a forest fire actually did break out?
To 7-year-old Josh Kocemba it was simple.
“I would run back to my car, get some water and pour it on.”
But Ryan Krausfeldt, 7, offered a solution that needed a little work.
“I would just go to my house and get the hose.”
When Josh informed Ryan the hose would never reach, Ryan quickly improvised: “OK. Then I’d find a fire hydrant.”