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Dear Members and everyone,
We wanted to let you all know –

This month and into October, the History Centre is celebrating “The History of Bears”.
We invite you to come into the Library and make your way down into the North/West corner. Is it a forest or a jungle?
You’re sure of a big surprise!
Because there you will find a Teddy Bears’ Picnic!
Whatever are they saying to each other?

You can also find the real History story of “How the Teddy Bear Toy began.” Who could imagine it involved a President of the United States and a gun!
Plus a great deal more. Be sure to read all about it!

You are invited, not only to see the picnic, but also to meet all 8 species of natural bears! Did you know that the Spectacled Bears only live in “deepest, darkest Peru?
Once upon a time,one of them travelled to London and became “Paddington Bear.
And a big Sloth bear from India became the wonderful, singing and dancing Baloo Bear in “The Jungle Book” story, when Mr Rudyard Kipling decided that a Bear would be the best teacher for Mowgli, the mancub.

Of course there is Winnie-the-Pooh to greet you. He comes with a really amazing piece of history,
a true, extra story of how Winnie got his name – from a REAL bear who lived in the London zoo and
was visited often by Christopher Robin and his Dad, Mr Milne who wrote all the stories about Winnie’s adventures.

Bears come in many sizes. Come and meet our “teenager” Kodi, the Kodiak bear. He lives in the coldest part of Alaska and some in his family are as large or larger than Polar bears. Kodi is not fully grown but he is already very tall, standing on his hind legs as lots of bears like to do. See how you measure up against him and our sweet little “Solar” the Sun Bear. Sun bears, from Malaysia are the smallest of the bears.

You will want to find out all about the other bears both natural and toy. People have been bringing their own special Teddy bears to our centre. Some of them are very old (70 years) and others are much newer. They all have interesting histories and some have been so loved they have hardly any fur!

We all love our own teddies. They have given us such joy and comfort in our childhood and beyond. Teddies have become more than just toys. They are symbols of warmth, security, love, cuddles and of feeling happy.
So we have made a special section for Bears which are made and given to children and people to help them feel better, feel a little relief, if they are sick or sad or worried about something. “Snuggle” and “Trauma” bears are ready to help.

Naturally, you can’t have a picnic without games. There is a Teddy Bear Quiz and a Bear Word Scramble. Are you a “Bear of very little brain “like Pooh, or are you a bit more crafty and clever like the Black and Brown bears who learn all kinds of ways to feed themselves? Pick up a quiz to find out!

There is something about Pandas and Polars, and the Pageant; about Zoos and Honey, Hibernation and Heraldry.

We hope you come!
We hope you like it
Because it’s for you.

If you come down to the Library today,
You’re sure of a Big Surprise.
If you come down and be ready to play,
You won’t believe your eyes!
For every bear that ever there was (almost)
Is gathered there for certain because,
This month is the month
That Teddy Bear’s have their picnic.

See you there Teddy Bear!
The Mount Lofty and Districts Historical Society