Crawl benefits Deep Creek canopy walkway
Stephanie Weaver
The Cumberland Times-News Fri Jul 22, 2011, 12:06 AM EDT
Deep Creek Lake — DEEP CREEK LAKE — Bears have run amuck throughout Garrett County and have made their homes in several different businesses. But these bears — carved from wood — are here to stay, at least until October.
The bears are part of a bear trail hosted by the Western Garrett County State Park Volunteers Inc. to benefit the Forest Canopy Walkway to be built at Deep Creek Lake State Park.
According to the volunteers’ website, the walkway will include a bridge and tower and provide a larger view of the canopy, which is the upper level of the forest.
Twenty local artists painted the bears before local businesses and organizations adopted them and put them on display for people to find. “My mind went into overdrive with ideas,” Judy McCaughey said, when she was asked to paint one of the bears.
For her, it was a “fun thing to do” since she is an artist and enjoys painting. Her bear, like many of the others, was inspired by nature. Although nature may be a common theme, McCaughey said the bears are all “different and unique.”
Lorie Epp of Wisp Resort agrees with McCaughey. “All the bears are unique pieces of art and are really intriguing,” she said. Epp also hopes the trail sends people to businesses they may have not known of before.
Much like a scavenger hunt, the bear trail goers collect stamps for each bear in their bear trail guide that they find. The participants return their completed guide to the Discovery Center at Deep Creek Lake State Park to be entered in a drawing for several prizes including a TV, GPS and a MD State Park passport.
Although participants can find the bears at their leisure, state park volunteers will hold a bear crawl Saturday for those interested in finding the bears in one day. Participants should pick up their trail guides between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. at the Discovery Center, Caroline Blizzard, ranger and naturalist, said.
The crawl ends at 5 p.m., and participants who find all 20 bears will be entered into a drawing for a table-top carved bear, as well as the larger drawing mentioned above. According to Blizzard, vendors will have certain surprises and incentives throughout the day as participants search for the bears.
The bears will stay at their adopted locations until Autumn Glory in October and on Nov. 5 all 20 bears will be auctioned off to their permanent owners. For more information on the bear trail or the Forest Canopy Walkway, visit the park volunteer website.
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