8/7/2019, 11:42 a.m

Kids and their families are invited to celebrate Smokey Bear’s 75th birthday with a free event for kids and their families on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 .m. at Fort Vancouver’s Visitor’s Center, 501 E. Evergreen Blvd.
Sponsored by the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Friends of Fort Vancouver, and the National Park Service, the day will include fun activities, historic Smokey videos, wildfire prevention safety and, of course, you can wish Smokey Bear a happy birthday in person and enjoy a piece of birthday cake to celebrate this milestone birthday.
The real Smokey Bear was a little cub saved by firefighters during a wildfire in New Mexico. His paws were badly burned when he clung to a smoking, burned out tree. News of the little bear’s rescue spread quickly across the nation and soon became a national icon for promoting fire safety and wildfire prevention. He received so many gifts of honey and an outpouring of mail that he was assigned his own zip code!