Village Squire, 1979-10, Page 12The Teddy J*ars' Picnic
Lovers of bears meet to celebrate a loveable tradition
Teddy Bears went to school at the Brocksden School House Museum near Stratford this
summer. --Photo by Thelma Coleman.
BY
THELMA COLEMAN
From 1853 until 1967 generations of children growing up in the
Easthope townships of Perth County sat at the desks of
Brocksden School.
This year, on a warm hazy Sunday afternoon in mid -summer,
hundreds of bears sat at the desks, on the desks and on every
space available in the large one -roomed old schoolhouse. Some
were very tiny measuring only three inches and others were
almost three feet tall; they were all soft, cuddly, inanimate and
well -loved.
These were Teddy Bears, treasured, travelled, some
well-worn and others almost new; brought to Brocksden School,
now a Country School Museum, by those who accepted the
invitation in the newspaper: "Teddy Bears" Picnic, Sunday,
July 22, 2 to 5 p.m. Brocksden Country School Museum, three
miles east of north end of Romeo Street (Stratford). Calling all
teddy bears and their charges, children, camera buffs and
curious travellers."
Those who came to bring their bears and other interested folk,
covered the entire range of ages. There were tiny tots hugging
10 Village Squire, October 1979
their first bear, bright, fluffy and shining new. There were
pre -teens, young people, middle-aged and grandmothers
tenderly placing a bear with fur worn thin, one eye or tattered
ears, that held the memories of a lifetime.
Most of the bears were varying shades of brown or gold,
interspersed with a few white ones. Many were just known as
Teddy but the majority, by far, had been given names that held a
special meaning. Depending on the country where they were
made, and their age, some had movable arms and legs that were
wired and washered to the body; while others had sewn seams to
form a crease, the arms and legs bending in a folding movement
when sitting or pretended walking.
Several of the bears were made by their owners. Billy Kirkby
has made many of her large collection of bears. She has
delighted the hearts of many children with the teddy bears she
has given them.
It seemed that no two teddy bears had the same expression on
their faces; but there was one thing in common, each one wore
the famous teddy bear smile. They had large shiny amber eyes,
black wool eyes, button eyes and eyes that looked like little black
currants. There were a few that were cross-eyed, either by