Bear Memories

 Mentioning the bear that used to be a big attraction at the Glover gas station back in the day brought a couple of very interesting responses from readers.

I heard from Marti Talbot right away with this about Clark's Bears Trading Post in Lincoln, NH: 

Hi Jane
Clark Bears trading post is still alive and well. The bears are so well taken care of and loved. In the summer there was always some one spending the night with the bears on premise, but now the bears are taken home across the street for their safety. Maureen and her family care for the bears all year long.  They show their bears and teach the public about bears.  When I moved here 31 years ago, you could go see the bears playing or up on their platform sleeping. I used to make special trips so I could see them. Now they aren’t allowed up there because of the public. 

If you have a chance to go the Clark’s trading post. It is well worth the trip. There is so much more there to learn about and have fun for all ages. It is very sad when we lose a bear to old age .  I have even had the privilege of walking a cub across the street. It is a family of love.
Marti

Isin't it nice to know those bears are so well taken care of? Their life in captivity is much safer and less demanding than it would be for them living in the wild. They are interesting and intelligent beasts - but so powerful! Thank you, Marti for sharing your personal experience with the Clark's bears.

This morning I had a comment from Jack LaGue asking if I remembered the bears that were in captivity at perhaps the Danville Grain Store on Raillroad Street in Danville, probably in the 1960s. I vaguely recall that and for some reason the Calkins family came to mind. I'm pretty sure someone from Danville will be able to tell us more about this. Shoot me an email or comment below. 

 And to end today's post, here is the information I mentioned earlier that Jamie told me about regarding detecting fraud in emails, etc. This was an OLLI  (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) presentation that was recorded by KATV in St. Johnsbury at Catamount Arts Center. It is titled: How To Spot Made-up, Misleading, and Murky Information. This program is quite long, but it is very informative and well worth your time.  Prof. Casey actually addresses the exact type of bogus emails some of us here at Joe's Pond have received recently - the "do you shop at Amazon" scam. There are many other instances I'm sure we've all experienced - and living in a fast-paces world of "fake news" and "misinformation" we are being constantly bombarded with more of this sort of thing than every before. Prof. Casey helps us to understand what is solid information or chaff that needs to be discarded. Just plan to schedule a good block of time to watch the whole thing.

The pond remains frozen, the flag is still flying, and the clock is still ticking.No fake news there!

Enjoy your day - perhaps I'll see some of you at Howard Coffin's presentation this afternoon, 3 p.m.!