How the Bear Festival Became the Bear Festival

Actually the short answer for how the McCleary Bear Festival developed this bizarre culinary sideshow probably had something to do with this equation: Journalists + Alcohol x 2 = An argument over which county has the best tasting bear, Grays Harbor or Skamania.

I hope these articles put to rest the error made over and over by my townsmen, even proclaimed on banners and to the press, that the McCleary Bear Festival was first held in 1958. The first was held in 1959.

Susan Brown and I created a documentary on the history of the Bear Festival back in the 1990s. Thanks to our IT wizard Sarah it is available on Vimeo.

Phone photo 96

Beacon Rock, Columbia River, Skamania County, Washington on a dark, overcast day looming like brooding giant. Named by Lewis and Clark in 1805. This volcanic core monolith is about 850 feet tall.