The weekly news update featuring Smokey Bear
To all North Pole City Elves, those in Santa's Village, in the Lower 48 and all around the world, this is your weekly update for the week of August 8, 2022. I'm your host Walter "Mistletoe" Livingstone and I'm your co-host, Becky "Marshmallow" Livingstone, Let's go to press.
For the week of August 8, 2022 your sponsor will be is Ollie’s Ornaments located at 927 Pine Tree Lane. This week’s special take 50% off selected ornaments and decoration designs. That’s Ollie’s Ornaments, your one stop shop for Holiday decorations.
Santa has asked the reindeer stables, engineers, and flight command to schedule some repair time for the old training sleigh as he noticed it pulling very hard to the right during this weeks tests and reindeer training when we got over 500 ft above the ground. "This is not normal," said Santa, "there is something a bit off with the aerodynamics, I think. This needs to be fixed before our next flight." During the training flights this week, every time Santa would circle the team back around to the right to come back over North Pole City, the sleigh would take a sudden deep dip; almost to the point of Santa falling out of the sleigh. This definitely needs to be looked into.
Edward Hinklemyer released a memo today to the chemists and engineers asking them to start testing the fuel reserves for the package satellites. This is a bit early for this project this year, but last year they did find some issues and had to scurry to make some corrections. "We will be running a close schedule this year," said Edward, "so, we need to check everything, and then check it again, just to make sure all is going to be fine during the deliveries."
The Division of WWW/PR has asked for a couple of weeks to get caught up on designs and posts on the website as they are getting new computers in the offices. Most of those who work there have been working extremely hard this year, and Santa has said that it is fine for them to take a few weeks to get settled back into the groove with their new systems. Please stay tuned for new updates on TAOLF.com once their new computers and network is back up and running again.
If you have any outdoor work to do, it will be best to do it later in the week. This week will be in the upper 40's with rain expected through Wednesday. The remainder of the week will be partly cloudy.
WELF-NPC Radio was planning on taking our remote broadcast station out to city center this week to report on the reindeer testing, but yet again the system blew up and even caught on fire this time when we flipped the switch to record. Our staff is going to have to start over again from scratch on this device as this time it was completely damaged and cannot be repaired. Hopefully the new unit will be able to handle the broadcasts.
Smokey Bear and his Wildfire Prevention campaign turns 78 on the 9th. It is the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history. It has educated generations of Americans about their role in preventing wildfires.
Smokey is a black bear weighing over 300 pounds. He is always seen in his favorite clothes -his personalized ranger hat, blue jeans and a belt and generally has a shovel in hand. He is often heard reciting his favorite saying: “Only you can prevent wildfires.†This saying has changed over the years; he used to say, “Only you can prevent forest fires!" and before that when he first appeared, he would always say, " Smokey Says – Care Will Prevent 9 out of 10 Forest Fires."
His goal has always been to get your help to keep his home, and those of his friends, from being destroyed by wildfires, but how exactly did Smokey Bear become associated with wildfire prevention?
It was back in the spring of 1942 that Japanese submarines surfaced near the coast of Santa Barbara, California, and fired shells that exploded on an oil field which was very close to the Los Padres National Forest. The fear that these explosions in the forests of the Pacific Coast would ignite numerous raging wildfires was terrifying.
It was decided that if people could be urged to be more careful, perhaps some fires could be prevented. To rally this cause, the Forest Service organized the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention (CFFP) program with the help of the War Advertising Council and the Association of State Foresters. They created posters and slogans, including "Forest Fires Aid the Enemy," and "Our Carelessness, Their Secret Weapon."
Walt Disney's motion picture, "Bambi" came out then too and Disney allowed the CFFP to use the film’s characters on a 1944 poster. However, Disney only loaned the characters to them for one year. They would need to find an animal symbol that would belong to them, and nothing seemed more fitting than the bear.
On August 9, 1944, the creation of Smokey Bear was authorized by the Forest Service. His first poster by artist Albert Staehle depicted a bear pouring a bucket of water on a campfire. Smokey Bear soon became popular and began to attract commercial interest. An Act of Congress passed which removed Smokey from the public domain and placed him under the control of the Secretary of Agriculture. The Act provided for the use of collected royalties and fees for continued wildfire prevention education.
But wasn't there a real life Smokey Bear? Yes.
One spring day in 1950, in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, a major wildfire sweeping along the ground between the trees, driven by a strong wind was discovered. After the fire was contained, it was found that a little bear cub had not fared well. He had taken refuge in a tree that became completely charred, and he had badly burned paws and hind legs.
The crew removed the cub from the tree, and a rancher among the crew agreed to take him home to care for him. A New Mexico Department of Game and Fish ranger heard about the cub when he returned to the fire camp and drove to the rancher’s home to help get the cub on a plane to Santa Fe, where his burns were treated and bandaged.
Soon, the United Press and Associated Press broadcast his story nationwide, and many people wrote and called, asking about the cub’s recovery. The state game warden wrote to the chief of the Forest Service, offering to present the cub to the agency as long as the cub would be dedicated to a conservation and wildfire prevention publicity program. The cub was soon on his way to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., becoming the living symbol of Smokey Bear. He remained at the zoo until his death in 1976, when he was returned to his home to be buried at the Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, New Mexico.
Smokey receives so many letters, he even has had to have his own zip code. You can write Smokey Bear a letter at:
Smokey Bear; Washington, D.C. 20252.
The Annual Summer Sale sponsored by the North Pole City Commerce Association in North Pole City continues this week through Wednesday. Be sure you are getting your special flyer stamped as you visit the businesses. Don't forget to drop off your completed flyer to the NPC Commerce office. When you do, you will get a prize from the commerce association - a 2022 ornament for your tree. Take your completed flyer to get your ornament by August 10th.
The next NPC council meeting is scheduled for Thursday August 11 at 6 pm. If you plan to attend, be there by 6 pm as doors close at meeting start time and you do not want to interrupt the meeting with a late entrance. The topic for this council meeting is the review and discussion on the replacement of the boiler for the "Iron Reindeer" steam engine. As you are aware, there were some issues with the engine this past week and the engineers are to the point where they feel that the boiler should be replaced since it has been patched and repaired several times over the last few hundred years.
This Saturday the NPC Sports League will be participating in the Community Garage Sale. They will be getting rid of the equipment and props from Reindeer Games that are no longer played. Did you have a favorite that got eliminated this year? Come and pick up some equipment at the garage sale and play it at home with family and friends.
This week in community events, we begin with Tues. Aug. 9th which is a day for all those who love to read. It is National Book Lovers Day! The Division of History and Research encourages you to find your favorite reading place, a good book (whether it be fiction or non-fiction) and read the day away. They will be bringing out some of the old archive books and some special archived letters to Santa to put on display for your viewing pleasure on Tuesday. Take a moment and visit their office in the library all day on Tuesday for a peek at those precious items usually kept in the archives.
Then on Wednesday the 10th to celebrate National S'mores Day, the NPC Hotel will be hosting a S'mores Bar. Stop by an try your hand at a new creation or an original s'more.
And on Saturday join in on the Community Garage Sale for National Garage Sale Day! Looking to get rid of a few things or pick up a few? The NPC Community Garage Sale will be from 8 am to 5 pm, so put out your items and check out what your neighbors have for sale.
WELF-NPC would like to wish a very happy 600th birth to Rachael "Sweet Tooth" Leighton. Rachael has worked in Mrs. Claus' kitchen since she was tugging on her mother's apron. Rachael specializes in making all of the vanilla and chocolate puddings that you all enjoy from the cafeteria. We would like to wish you many more happy years.
This is Walter "Mistletoe" Livingstone and Becky "Marshmallow" Livingstone with the reminder: Not all who wander are lost. Some are just looking for garage sales..
Have a good evening, and be sure to tune in next week for another WELF-NPC North Pole Radio News Update.
