Happy birthday, Smokey

SHOHOLA, PA — Kindergarteners at Shohola Elementary School had a special guest come to their school recently: Smokey Bear, who visited along with some local forest rangers. The students learned about the dangers of forest fires and how important it is to be careful in the forest.

Smokey Bear (also unofficially called Smokey the Bear) is the mascot of the United States Forest Service. Smokey’s message, “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires,” was created in 1944 by the Ad Council. In April 2001, Smokey’s message was updated to “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires.” In August of this year, Smokey turned 65.

Pictured are the KIndergarten classes from Maureen Dewey’s, Cheryl Hodany’s and Cathy Recchia’s classes at Shohola.