The holiday season will be enhanced with a display of teddy bears in the Community Room of the Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society, 858 W. Fourth St.
The exhibit will be on display through Jan. 19. A majority of the teddy bears are on loan by a number of individuals from surrounding communities. The teddy bears have travelled from Picture Rocks, South Williamsport, Linden, Muncy, Nisbet, Montoursville, Watsontown and Montgomery.
Compelling stories are included within the exhibit. No more compelling is the story of David Sullivan. David was placed in hospice care in Westmoreland County and died in 2004. The staff of the hospice center created a bear out of the fabrics of David's shirts and presented it to his widow, Judy.
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Or the mischievous story of Sally Bear. Sally belonged to the sister of Missy Keller. It resided on the bed pillow of Missy's sister until Kylie the cat entered the picture. Kylie claimed Sally for her own and for the next 17 years hid the bear, hunted the bear, kicked the bear with its back feet and slept with the bear in her cat bed.
Traveling regularly from New Jersey to view the Little League Baseball games is a bear named Griswold, loaned to the Taber Museum by the Peter McGovern Little League Museum. Griswold is a hand-puppet and entertained attendees at the games in South Williamsport.
The second oldest senior bear in the exhibit is the childhood bear of Thomas T. Taber II. Taber received his bear around 1901-1902. It was made by the most famous bearmakers of all, Steiff. He still retains the small metal button in his right ear.
Even the argyle sweater he wears is vintage - it was made by Taber's mother to replace a sweater worn out from play. The exhibit is further enriched with the childhood bears of benefactor of the museum, Tom Taber III.
A Knickerbocker bear made in New York is the childhood bear of Alice Hauser of Linden.
Her father was a traveling salesman and arrived home shortly before Christmas about 70 years ago with two bears, one white and one brown. Her brother immediately asked for the white bear and, 70 years later, retains his childhood bear just like his sister.
The museum is open for touring from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
