Skip to content

PHOTOS: Black bear cubs (made of wood) appear at Memorial Park

Cubs installed June 15, a Communities in Bloom project carved by Randy Swope
21845361_web1_200618-HSL-BearsinMemorialPark-1_1
Garry Arrowsmith installs the second of two wooden bear cub carvings in Hope’s Memorial Park Monday, June 15. Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard

It was an eventful Monday morning at Hope’s Memorial Park, as two black bear cubs were hoisted up into trees above the watchful eye of their momma bear.

These particular bears were made of wood and were carved by Randy Swope.

“It just gives a little positive thing to everybody,” said Victor Smith, wearing his Communities in Bloom ‘hat.’ Why the organization chose to commission and install bear cubs, Smith said, is due to the ‘aww factor.’

“Everybody goes ‘aww’ when they see them and it’s like a treasure hunt, when they see a bear cub it’s that much more special than a full sized bear,” he said.

Read more about the artist behind the cub carving, Randy Swope

A number of community members stopped to watch the bear installation, a joint effort by Victor Smith together with Garry Arrowsmith from the district maneuvering a bucket truck with a bear and a drill in tow. The carvings have several coats of sealant on them, and were installed with strong screws to ensure the carvings have longevity Smith said.

Arrowsmith noted it wasn’t his average day at work. “I wish it was, it’s a bit different,” he said, suggesting people who read the paper should come down to Memorial Park and try to spot the bears.

Lydia Koot just happened to walk by as the cubs were being hoisted into the trees, on her way to rescue two real bear cubs up the Skagit. Koot confirmed the carvings looked a lot like the many baby bears she has seen and rescued in her work with the Hope Mountain Black Bear Committee.

“They usually have their hind legs a little more stretched out but when they rest, that’s exactly the position,” she said of the cubs. “The mom is usually below, on the ground…not all the time of course, because sometimes she goes down to eat and sends the cubs up in a tree.”

Koot said Memorial Park is the perfect place for the new carvings.

“That means that we really all have to do our best to protect them, watch our attractants,” she said. “If we don’t do our part it won’t happen, because the bears are driven by food.” Human food is especially attractive to bears if left out as it has more calories, she noted, especially compared to what bears eat this time of year before berries are ripe.

Communities in Bloom sponsored the carvings, at $500 a piece. Despite it not being a chainsaw carving year in Hope, Smith said the organization will be unveiling two more carvings this summer that will surely make locals and tourists alike turn their heads and pull out their smart phones.

VIDEO: Masterpieces begin to take shape at Hope’s chainsaw competition

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:
emelie.peacock@hopestandard.com


Facebook and follow us on Twitter

21845361_web1_200618-HSL-BearsinMemorialPark-1_2
The final product - one of two wooden bear cubs, carved by Randy Swope, installed at Hope’s Memorial Park. Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard
21845361_web1_200618-HSL-BearsinMemorialPark-1_3
Victor Smith captures the moment the second cub carving is installed, in a tree at Hope’s Memorial Park on Monday, June 15. Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard
21845361_web1_200618-HSL-BearsinMemorialPark-1_5
Lydia Koot serendipitously came walking by Memorial Park the morning of Monday, June 15, on her way to rescue two real bear cubs up the Skagit. In the meantime, she got to hold onto a wooden cub and witness its installation in a tree at the downtown Hope park. Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard
21845361_web1_200618-HSL-BearsinMemorialPark-1_6
One of Hope’s most photographed wood carvings, the bear in Memorial Park, will keep a watchful eye on two recently installed bear cub carvings. Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard
21845361_web1_200618-HSL-BearsinMemorialPark-1_7
Victor Smith, front, and Garry Arrowsmith work on the installation of two bear cub carvings, made by local carver Randy Swope, June 15. Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard
21845361_web1_200618-HSL-BearsinMemorialPark-1_8
Victor Smith, front, and Garry Arrowsmith work on the installation of two bear cub carvings, made by local carver Randy Swope, June 15. Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard