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| The bears in Bear Plaza are a well-loved downtown attraction providing a tangible reminder of our close ties to Bern, Switzerland Photo courtesy R.Scungio |
As I related in a previous article, to achieve walkabilty, the 1977 Downtown Revitalization Plan, commissioned by the Downtown Revitalization Committee and the City of New Bern, envisioned connecting mid-block parking lots to shopping streets, creating additional walking path systems.
To begin to accomplish that goal, the City responded to the Committee’s request to purchase the Middle Street lot, vacated when the Coplon Smith Department Store burned down in the mid-1970s, which connected to the interior municipal parking lot known as Federal Alley.
The Committee provided the leadership in getting downtown property owners and merchants to request formation of the Municipal Tax District in the area bounded by (Tryon Palace Drive), South Front, Pollock and Middle in which they would pay an additional tax of $.50 per hundred ad valorem valuation. The MSD was created in 1980 with the understanding the additional tax money would go toward physical improvements in that defined area.
In 1980, Bear Plaza was the first project undertaken and completed using these funds. Development of Bear Plaza, a mid-block park included a pavilion, several benches and lights.
In the spring of 1993, John Edwards, owner of Trent Power Equipment Company in Merritt, N.C., met with me requesting Swiss Bear consider purchasing for $10,000, three large bear sculptures he had on his property that had been carved with a chainsaw. He had to close his business and thought they would be an asset to downtown as public art.
My response, “we will give it consideration” was essentially a polite way to avoid saying outright I was not enthusiastic about his proposal. Having never seen the sculptures, I assumed anything carved from logs with a chain saw would be very crude and not suitable for our downtown.
Over the next six months his persistent calls paid off. When I drove to the site of his business I was amazed and delighted. The largest was a twelve foot black bear and the two eight feet tall sculptures were of a single bear with a fish in its mouth and the other of two cubs chasing a raccoon up a tree. They were very well done, would be a great addition to Bear Plaza and a bargain at his final asking price of $4,500.
In November 1993, Edwards gave the City permission to relocate the bears from his property to Bear Plaza and Swiss Bear was given an option to purchase them, contingent upon raising the funds necessary to cover the purchase price by July 1, 1994.
In the early spring of 1994, Swiss Bear spearheaded a campaign in cooperation with the City to provide a permanent home for the three major wood sculptures offering the public a range of donation levels from $10 to $500+. All contributors would receive a small ceramic bear, made for this project by Janice Parker, and their names recorded on a commemorative plaque(s) for permanent display in Bear Plaza.
The community’s response was outstanding and the campaign raised $12,000. The additional money was used to purchase and install new lights and landscape the Plaza. On Nov. 20, 1994, a well-attended dedication was held and Swiss Bear formally turned over ownership of the bears to the city; public art to be enjoyed for many years to come...or so we thought.
By the late 1990s the bears were in a state of deterioration. Termites, wood beetles and exposure to the elements were taking their toll. Jeth Lindsy, artist and owner of Art of the Wild, was a dedicated volunteer steward in repairing and maintaining the bear’s, but it was a losing battle. The numerous attempts to preserve them failed and they were finally removed from the Plaza when they became a safety hazard.
In the meantime, with the Municipal District Advisory Committee’s approval to fund up to $8,600 for three new bear sculptures, the challenge became finding an artist to replicate the existing sculptures. The Committee agreed new bears should be carved from cypress (a more durable wood) in the same configuration in respect for all those who contributed to the original purchase. After much research, thanks to John Sturman, owner of Bern Bear Gifts, we were able to contact Tom Penny, who carved the three bears for John Edwards. Originally from Canada, we were happy to learn Penny was now residing in Myrtle Beach. He quoted a price of $10,000, with the major cost being able to purchase/acquire logs of an adequate size to carve the big bear. Penny said we could deduct 10% from the cost if we furnished the wood.
When Little Joe Weatherington, North Carolina Forest Products, Inc, was able to find and donate cypress logs for the bears, Mr. Penny agreed to carve the three bears for $8,600. He carved the two smaller bears prior to Mumfest and to promote the project and have an additional attraction, Penny began carving the large “papa” bear during the festival.
When the bears were placed in the Plaza the following spring, metal brackets were constructed to hold the bears above the treated concrete bases allowing air to circulate and eliminate possible infestation. The New Bern Garden Club planted numerous plants and flowers adding to the park’s beautification.
The bears in Bear Plaza are a well-loved downtown attraction providing a tangible reminder of our close ties to Bern, Switzerland...and like the numerous other Swiss Bear projects, the community made it happen.
Susan Moffat Thomas
Executive Director, Swiss Bear Downtown Development
