Smokey Bears all in Carrabelle for festival

The second annual Forgotten Coast Black Bear Festival came off without a hitch on Saturday, Oct. 17, bigger and better than ever.

            Music was provided by Trafton and Chelsea, Rick Ott, Frank Lindamood, Steve Hodges and the Shade Tree Band.

            The Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy and Florida Master Naturalists were among the groups on hand to raise awareness about living with Florida Black Bears. There was delicious food of all descriptions ranging from fresh local grouper to cheeseburgers and Brunswick stew. There were also many tasty bake sale items and Smokey’s favorite treat, Tupelo honey from Wewahitchka.

            Link Carroll, who manned a booth for the county landfill, reported she gave away over 100 compost bins and even more blue recycle bins.

            “We brought 20 composters to start,” she said, “But by lunch time I had to send to the landfill for more. We had given away all we had by 2 p.m.”

            The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission bused about 40 attendees up to Womack Creek Campground in the Tate’s Hell State Forest where wildlife biologist Adam Warwick treated them to an elaborate program on bear awareness.

            Warwick became an international celebrity last year after rescuing a drowning bear at Alligator Point. Visitors saw bear artifacts, heard a lecture and got an opportunity to ask him questions about bears and their habits. At the end of the presentation, bear enthusiasts got an opportunity to dart a bear target.

            Other activities included a “Be a Bear” program where children, dressed in faux fur pelts, learned how bears forage for their food.

            While there were no real bears on hand, Smokey Bear shook hands and kissed babies, and festival organizer Lesly Cox once again performed in her Native American bear costume and led the “Parade of Species” staged by the Carrabelle Boys and Girls Club.