The Abe Lincoln Bear

Searching for all things related to Abraham Lincoln this morning on the web (while I should be working...can you tell I'm bored?), I stumbled upon this adorable life-sized fiberglass bear made to look like Old Abe himself. Intrigued and laughing out loud, I had to research this bear a little further.

This Lincoln bear is located in the small city of Boyertown, Pennsylvania (in Berks County, in the Reading area). The local high school team is the Bears. A few years ago, some folks in the town started "Bear Fever," a collaborative public arts project. The goal of the effort is to decorate the town and surrounding communities with 40-60 fiberglass bears as a way to develop school and town spirit. Local businesses in town "sponsor" a bear, all of which are uniquely designed and painted. The townspeople got the idea after learning about other cities in the U.S. decorating with cows (Chicago) and pandas (Washington, D.C.)

Abe-Bear-Ham (as he's affectionately called) has a top hat, a beard, and a coat resembling the frock that Lincoln wore. Note the "5 dollar bills" serving as a hat band. Too cute. The story of the Lincoln bear, additional photos, and an interview with the artist may be found here.

The real Lincoln had to "bear" much in his life, so what better animal to represent him?