Smokey the Bear and crew drop by Coleman Auditorium

HAMLET – Smokey and the Bear dropped by the Coleman Auditorium to assist members of the North Carolina Department of Forestry teach lessons on fire safety to Richmond County kids.

The visit from Smokey the Bear and company was the penultimate event of Richmond County Public Libraries’ summer education series, which wraps up in two weeks with a concert from the North Carolina Symphony.

“We love working with the NC Symphony, just like we love working with the forest rangers. Just to bring a little bit of fun and enjoyment into the summer experience for the kids in our community, especially (because) educational programs are really important. Making it fun, bringing in Smokey, and having all of the educational content – we’re having a really good time,” Rockingham Library Children’s Program Director Sydney King said.

Following an introduction by Smokey the Bear, North Carolina Department of Forestry Richmond County Ranger Brandon VanBuren led kids to a presentation regarding safe practice while building a campfire.

“I hope they get to go camping and get a campfire going. It’s good to interact with nature … This was a really good group of kids. They were all lovey-dovey on Smokey the Bear, and he really loves that. [Smokey the Bear] is a good way to channel (fire safety) it. They have a short attention span, and it’s something they can relate to,” VanBuren said. “It’s something they can learn from. When I’m trying to teach a lesson, I can bounce it off of Smokey. That helps.”

VanBuren said he hopes the children attending will remember some of the lessons from Tuesday in the event they are called upon to act in an emergency.

“I hope they paid attention, and I hope they learned something. Fire can be a very dangerous thing. It can take out your house, your neighbor’s house and everybody else’s house along with it, not to mention the wildlife that would be affected and the trees we’re supposed to be promoting and out there protecting. I hope somebody went away with something. I tried to go over the main points a couple of times. We’ll see who retains it,” VanBuren said.

As for Richmond County libraries, next week children from individual library programs will head to the Zoo. With only two programs left, King said she is pleased with the turnout each week and credits community support for libraries across Richmond County for the large crowds.

“We’ve got kids from Hamlet, Ellerbe and Rockingham all coming together to gather in one place. I think it’s been really good for our summer reading programs,” King said.