The Oakley Tree Keepers had a booth at the June 12 Oakley Open Streets event on Thompson Street along the Swannanoa River. The Fire Department was on our left and we noticed that the firefighters were all looking at the river. When we looked, we saw the item of interest – a bear! Yes, a teen-aged looking bear was playing in the water on the opposite side of the river. It was a hot day and we could understand the appeal!
The bear was a great source of entertainment. After cooling off, the bear started climbing up the bank on the Thompson Street side! The spectators gave the bear a wide berth as it lumbered across the road, next to parked cars, and into a wooded area behind Holston Gases company, completely oblivious to all the people.
The Oakley Tree Keepers hadn’t planned any entertainment, but having a bear in the river brought a lot of visitors to our booth. It was nice to let nature do some of the work for us.
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