Safe Haven for Bears.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, the fifteen little bears of BearFest Easthampton fame, except for wire-haired bear, have been brought inside from the dangerous streets (for bears anyway) of Easthampton. After a number of thefts and near-thefts of these prized pieces of art in the form of fiberglass bears, the Easthampton City Arts group responsible for the very cool and successful public art display, made the decision to move all the small bears inside. It's sad really, that the actions of a very small number of hoodlums, for lack of a better word, have tried to put a dark cloud on an event that's been so positive for the city of Easthampton in so many ways.

In any event, the show goes on. You can still see groups of people, maps in hand, wandering around the bears, taking photos, and having fun. Here's to hoping the lowlifes that have stolen the bears are found and prosecuted to the full extent.

I'm thinking chain them to one of the empty logs in town for a few days and let the people decide what punishment suits the crime...taking a piece of art that someone spent hundreds of hours creating, taking money that would have been raised from its sale and spent on arts programs for kids...

Ok, I feel better now. Meet Hiding Bear, if you haven't already, the coolest small bear in town if you ask me. Meticulously created in a mosaic of intricately cut stained glass by Crystal Popko. You might recognize him from the front lawn of Jim's Package Store.

In more bear news, it looks like the silent auction site for the bears is just about set. Bear Auction Site. The live auction takes place on October 15th at the Log Cabin.

Note the large selection of t-shirts in the photo above (hint, hint)...

Some are BearFest tees, proceeds go to the cause. The rest are Mt. Tom's tees, new ones just in, heavier cotton (same as the 'Life is Good' tees) and a wider variety of colors. You know you want one.

In other Easthampton news, it sounds like the pond dredging project is finally a go. Here's the latest. It's looking like mid-August we'll start to see the water level dropping. I'll be keeping keen eye on things and will definitely be keeping you up to date right here, your place for all things dredge.

Soas to end on a brighter note, here's another bear image from my growing collection...

Hope you enjoyed National Ice Cream day this past sunday. Snuck up on me this year, sorry for not warning you.

Fear not though, July is National Ice Cream month, so you've still got plenty of time to grab a spoon and celebrate.

Better go check that sump pump now.

See you soon.