Naming Ceremony for the Library Bears

Library Plaza on Kirkwood

The Friends of the Library held a Naming Ceremony for the Library Bears on June 1, 2008 in celebration of International Children’s Day.

During the spring, the Friends held a “Name the Bears” contest open to children ages 4–14.

The winning names:

"Sunny"—walking bear (father bear)—name submitted by Francis Sun, age 4
"Luna"—mother bear—name submitted by Olivia Pate, age 11
"Snowdrop"—baby bear—name submitted by Amara Crook, age 9

Karl Schiefer, the sculptor of the bears, presented prizes to the winners along with Susan Thrasher, who underwrote the prizes. A polar bear was adopted in each winner’s name through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and each winner received a parcel from WWF with a stuffed polar bear. Winners and runners-up all received Build-a-Bear coupons.

Families enjoyed a polar bear story with Children’s staff, tattoo giveaways of the bear logo, a visit by the Build-a-Bear mascot, Bearemy, clown entertainment with Joe Lee, and refreshments. Build-a-Bear Workshop sponsored a prize drawing.

More about the Library Bears