LAKE TAHOE OPENS BEAR SEASON MAY 17 WITH “BEARS BY THE LAKE… A CELEBEARTION!”

(South Shore, Lake Tahoe, Calif./Nev.) – Bears are arriving every day to Lake Tahoe’s South Shore and by Memorial Day weekend, all 50 bears will be in town, each weighing between 375 and 400 pounds and standing six-feet tall. The bears will reside within city limits all summer-long. No, it’s not the area’s famous brown bear coming out of hibernation; it’s the Bears By The Lake… A CeleBEARtion!, South Shore Lake Tahoe’s largest outdoor public art display and major community fund-raiser.

Modeled after events such as the highly successful Chicago’s Cows on Parade, Cincinnati’s Big Pig Gig, San Francisco’s Heart Extravaganza, and Reno’s Longhorn Sheep, Bears By The Lake… A CeleBEARtion! features 50 life-size fiberglass bears, festooned in brightly colored paints, creative mosaics, and other artistic mediums, in outdoor public galleries throughout the South Shore from May 17 thru the end of September. In October, the bears, each sponsored by a local business reflecting the unique vision of a local or regional artist, will be sold in a live, online auction to raise money for 10 local charities.

“Bears By The Lake… A CeleBEARtion!” Opening Ceremonies

On May 17, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA) unveiled its summer-long bear mania sightseeing campaign, Bears by the Lake… A CeleBEARtion! Opening ceremonies featured special guest Nevada Lt. Governor Lorraine T. Hunt at the Embassy Suites Resort, followed by a public lunch at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe with the governor, local dignitaries, all bear artists, and half-a-dozen of the themed bears.

At the opening CeleBEARtion, local dignitaries participated in a dramatic reading of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Event title sponsor Terry Laymance was the star as Goldilocks with El Dorado County Supervisor Norma Santiago as mamma bear, LTVA Board vice chairman and bear sponsor Patrick Ronan as daddy bear, and Kelly Kite, Douglas County Commissioner as baby bear narrated by Peggy Thompson of Tahoe Arts Project.

LTVA Hopes To Raise $200,000 With Major Community Fundraiser

Bears by the Lake… A CeleBEARtion! is organized by the LTVA with the assistance of the 2005 Leadership Lake Tahoe class as a fund-raiser for local youth oriented organizations and wilderness preservation and education. Following the exhibit, live and online auctions will take place in early October to sell the bears. A minimum bid for each bear will be $2,000, and based on similar events in other regions of the country, the LTVA anticipates this campaign will be wildly successful.

“Instead of taking a bite into the economy, this campaign will give the community an infusion of cash earmarked for South Shore charities and LTVA,” stated Patrick Kaler, executive director of LTVA. “We hope to raise $200,000 at auction and will donate to 10 benefiting charities.”

Chicago raised more than a million dollars auctioning 322 cows from its Chicago’s Cows on Parade fund-raiser; it is the City’s most popular and successful public art exhibit.

San Francisco’s Heart Extravaganza’s goal was to raise $1 million for the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Within one year, from February 2004 to February 2005, nearly $2 million in funds were raised in response to more than 130 artist transformed heart sculptures into unique works of art displayed on sidewalks, plazas, parks, and street corners throughout San Francisco Bay Area.

When the final gavel fell at Cincinnati’s Big Pig Gig Live Auction, 65 Big Pig Gig pigs had been sold for a total of $401,500; this combined with the prior weeks’ ebay auctions total of $437,500 raised $839,000 for more than 140 charities in the Greater Cincinnati region. The top selling pig, Topigary, sold for $37,500.

Bear Mania Showcases Creatively Talented Artists and Region’s Tourist Attractions

Bears By The Lake… A CeleBEARtion! is expected to lure visitors, locals and all nature lovers to the region this summer for the popular sport of bear sighting, all the while promoting the endless array of warm-weather activities and local establishments in Tahoe. Patrick Kaler, executive director of LTVA, predicts the artistic attraction could draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to South Shore Lake Tahoe, which will translate into more overnight visitors for the region. Chicago estimates its display will attract a million additional tourists this summer, which the Chicago Office of Tourism estimates will translate into $100 to $200 million in revenue for the city.

Bear sighting maps, designed by the Tahoe Daily Tribune, will be distributed throughout South Shore to encourage the public to pursue a self-guided tour. Heavenly Village, Embassy Suites Resort, Ski Run Boulevard will host groups of bears while additional individual business sponsors will feature a single bear designed by a local or regional artist. To name just a few of the areas Bear attractions: