The Children's Room at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library will be having a special visitor at its Family Storytime on Wednesday, September 28 at 4:00PM.  Smokey Bear will be here teaching us all about fire prevention and fire safety. There will be stories, songs and it will be lots of fun for all ages

Many of us are old enough to remember Smokey's message, "Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires," but how many of us know his history. Smokey Bear was born on August 9, 1944 when the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council agreed that a fictional bear named Smokey would be the symbol for their joint effort to promote forest fire prevention. Then in 1950 a young bear cub was rescued from a forest fire and the firemen were so struck by the cub's bravery that they named him Smokey and he became the living symbol of the fictional Smokey Bear. If you're wondering where I learned about Smokey just visit www.smokeybear.com. This is the official Smokey Bear website and it has great information about him plus games, coloring sheets and other activities for young children.

But the best way to learn about Smokey and his message is to visit the King Library on September 28 at 4:00PM. Children who meet him for the first time will love him and those of us who have known him for a long time will enjoy seeing him again!