HENDERSONVILLE - With heavy rain and thunderstorms in Western North Carolina on May 8, the annual Bearfootin' Bears reveal event was canceled, but the 20 new bears were still revealed by Friends of Downtown Hendersonville on its website .
The bears have now been placed at their permanent locations on Main Street and will be auctioned off in October, according to Jamie Carpenter, the downtown manager for the city of Hendersonville.
New this year, the Friends of Downtown Hendersonville partnered with the Blue Ridge Community College Collision Repair Refinishing Technology Department to provide the automotive finishing for the bears, according to a news release. BRCC'S facility trains students in proper vehicle repair and replacement procedures to bring an automobile back to its pre-accident condition.
“Working with Blue Ridge has been an amazing experience,” said Terrye Jacobs, downtown event coordinator, in the release. “Program instructor Brian Foster has been an incredible partner, encouraging community participation from his students in taking care of our bears. We are excited to build a great partnership with this program and their crew."
The bears will remain on Main Street to delight all who pass by, until the auction on Oct. 26 at the Historic Courthouse Plaza, the release said. Last year’s auction raised $102,000 for local charities. Virtual bidding will be open in September. All of the 2024 bears and their details can be found at hendersonvillenc.gov/2024bears .
Descriptions of each of the bears and their sponsors are listed below, along with their corresponding numbers for the map on Main Street.
1. Enchanted Guardian
Sponsor: Laughing Elephant Yoga Artist: Miriam Hughes Beneficiary: Safelight
2. Butterflies and Beary Tales
Sponsor: Smart Start Partnership for Children Artist Name: Jenny L. Camp Beneficiary: Smart Start Partnership for Children
3. Mountain Strong
Sponsor: Hendersonville Family Dentistry Artist: Diamond Cash Beneficiary: Alicia Strong Foundation
4. Wylde Spirit
Sponsor: Friends of Downtown Hendersonville Artists: Amy Weinsoff, Diana Levenson Beneficiary: Friends of Downtown Hendersonville
5. Invasion
Sponsor: Fazio Family Artists: Sofia Wertenberger, Sophia Croese Beneficiary: Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County
6. ARTy
Sponsor: Patsy and John DuPre and Walt Slagel Artists: Phyllis Vaughn, Mary McCullah Beneficiary: The Art League of Henderson County
7. Galaxy of Hope
Sponsor: 1-800-BoardUp of Asheville Artist: Courtney Hoelscher Beneficiary: Only Hope WNC
8. Standing Tall Together
Sponsor: Carol and Bruce Radley/Always Best Care Senior Services Artist: Natalie Ray Beneficiary: Council on Aging for Henderson County
9. Honey & Hunter Yanu
Sponsor: Hunter Auto Group Artist Name: Hendersonville NC Rocks Beneficiary: American Legion Post No. 77
10. Forever Blue Ridge
Sponsor: Hendersonville Woman’s Club Artist: Lynn Genevish Beneficiary: Blue Ridge Humane Society
11. The Creative Horizon
Sponsor: Samantha Yaeger Goodrum Artist: Steph Charaska Beneficiary: The Vagabond School of the Drama
12. Terra Skye
Sponsor: United Community Bank Artist: Teresa Duncan Beneficiary: Interfaith Assistance Ministry (IAM)
13. Flutter by Bear
Sponsor: The Arts Council of Henderson County Artist Name: Bethany Joy Adams Beneficiary: The Arts Council of Henderson County
14. Hortense
Sponsor: Dennis and Victoria Flanagan Artist: Callie Rachel Vera Beneficiary: Blue Ridge Community College Horticulture Program
15. Out of the Blue
Sponsor: Art on 7th Artist: AnnMarie LeBlanc Beneficiary: Anna’s Hope of Community Foundation of Henderson County
16. Buzzter Sobear
Sponsor: Hope Coalition Board Members Artist: Alicia Eddy Beneficiary: Hope Coalition
17. BB the Blessing Bear
Sponsor: Henderson County Habitat for Humanity Artist: June Ellen Bradley Beneficiary: Henderson County Habitat for Humanity
18. Aila
Sponsor: BMW of Asheville Artist: Laura Bell Beneficiary: United Way of Henderson County
19. Beary Garcia
Sponsor: Grateful Mindset Properties Artists: Judy Dempsey, Judi Moolten, London Orzolek Beneficiary: Homes for Youth
20. Hope
Sponsor: The Hope Center of Hendersonville Artist: Becky Bonnema Beneficiary: The Hope Center of Hendersonville
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Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Bearfootin' Bears presented to the public; map of their spots on Main Street
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