Bear Show Spreads Serious Message

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By Kenneth Wong

Story Published: Jan 21, 2012 at 5:56 PM MST

Story Updated: Jan 23, 2012 at 1:29 PM MST

BILLINGS - With inches of snow falling on the Magic City for the past week, people could perhaps be forgiven for coming down with Cabin Fever, but one show at MetraPark is bringing many people out of hibernation.

Saturday was the second day of the Great Rockies Sport Show, which organizers expect will draw thousands of people. Over 150 vendors were on hand Saturday to teach or sell anything from fishing, to hunting and off-roading: the essential activities for the average outdoorsman.

"My grandpa wanted to come to see all the boats and stuff," said Ethan Nixon, who, along with his parents and grandparents, drove almost 90 miles from Lovell in northern Wyoming to the Metra. Ethan's grandfather may have found heaven, but that's not what Ethan came for.

"The boats? Err, not so much," said Ethan, as he, along with many other kids his age and their parents, waited at the Great Bear Show area for the show to come.

Music of all types blared as the show counted down to its first performance on Saturday. The show is led by Texan Bob Steele who comes from four generations of bear handlers.

"I've been doing this since 1977. I've been around them since '58," said Steele.

Traveling along with Bob to the Metra were five bears for a special performance.

"We just teach them to lead, like you would a dog, and teach them to sit down on command," said Steele.

For many, it was entertaining when the bears attempted a balancing act, but for Bob, there's also a serious message to send, one on bear safety.

"There is a greater human population that gets out in the wilderness, and a lot of them come from the big cities, and they think they know this, they think they know that, but they have no idea on being bear aware," said Bob, who also stated his belief that by not being intrusive on the bear's lives, many of the problems people see with bears could be avoided.

"There is no problem bear; it's the people that created the problem," said Bob.

That message, while not obvious, does relate to Ethan, who said that when he was in the 1st grade a bear caused some trouble at a camp outing he went out to. The Great Bear Show will be performing again on Sunday at noon and 2:00 p.m.

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