Smokey Bear Visits Pickaway County

The Smoky Bear Exhibit is now on display at Deer Creek State Park Lodge until August 22, 2021. The artwork was originally produced by the artist Rudy Wendelin. Mr Wendelin’s paintings bring about a feeling of nostalgia and the fond memories from childhood for anyone who remembers all the lessons that we learned from listening to Smokey Bear.

The art on display is unique and includes replicas of the original paintings by Rudy Wendelin. After given the opportunity to create a lifelike representation of Smokey Bear, he created hundreds more that have made Smokey the icon for wildfire prevention as well as the conservation of natural resources.

Smokey Bear has made many appearances at events like the Ohio State Fair, at schools, and he works hard to remind us all how important prevention is when it comes to staying safe. Smokey Bear was introduced in 1944 as the national symbol for wildfire prevention, but thanks to Rudy Wendelin the friendly likeness of Smokey Bear (donning his ranger hat, blue jeans and shovel in hand) and his message of “Only You can prevent wildfires” will be forever ingrained in our memories.