Reflections ​Mississippi’s Teddy Bear

Hernando Farmers Market

Saturdays through October Courthouse Square Hernando, MS 8:00am - 1:00pm Voted Mississippi's Favorite Farmers Market and 13th favorite in the nation by American Farmland Trust. This Mississippi Certified Market encourages & promotes access to fresh local foods. For more information call 662-429-9092 or visit cityofhernando.org/farmersmarket.

Grammy Museum Mississippi presents MTV Turns 40

Through June 2022 Grammy Museum Mississippi Cleveland, MS For more information visit grammymuseumms.org or call 662-441-0100.

Hernando Main Street Hometown Headliners

Courthouse Lawn Hernando, MS September 2 - The Rodell McCord Band September 9 - KC Johns & Donnie Marrs September 16 - Truck Patch Revical September 23 - Twin Soul September 30 - Pam & Terry Free! For more information visit hernandoms.org or call 662-429-9055.

The Marvelous Wonderettes

September 9 - 12 Landers Center Theater Southaven, MS For more information visit dftonline.com

Shotguns & Sunflowers Sporting Clays Tournament

September 10 Palmer Home for Children Hernando, MS 7:00am - 2:00pm For more information visit Palmer Home’s Facebook page or call 662-331-5704.

Bear Creek Festival and Car Show

September 11 Belmont, MS 9:00am - 5:00pm Enjoy a day of live music, craft & food vendors, pony rides, and a car show. There is something for the whole family to enjoy! For more information visit the Bear Creek Festival page on Facebook.

Live at the Garden presents Sheryl Crow

September 17 Memphis Botanic Garden Memphis, TN For ticket information visit liveatthegarden.com or ticketmaster.com.

300 Oaks Road Race

September 18 Greenwood, MS One of Mississippi’s oldest road races featuring a 10k run, 5k run, 5k walk and one mile fun run. For more information visit 300oaks.com.

3 Blind Wines

September 18 DeSoto Arts Council Hernando, MS 6:00pm - 9:00pm For more information visit desotoarts.com or call 662-404-3341.

New Albany Garden Club Presents An Evening of Jazz in the Faulkner Garden

September 23 Union Heritage Museum New Albany, MS 6:00pm - 9:00pm Tickets $50 each. Proceeds benefit the Faulkner Garden and other garden club projects. For more information call 662-534-3438.

42nd Annual Baddour Fashion Show and Auction

September 24 The Gin Nesbit, MS 6:00pm - 9:00pm Benefitting the Baddour Center. For tickets call 662366-6930 or email mford@baddour.org.

18th Annual Water Tower Festival

September 25 Historic Town Square Hernando, MS 9:00am - 3:00pm Enjoy crafts, vendor booths, live music, a car show, BBQ contest, a Corn Hole tournament and a free Kids Zone! For more information visit hernandoms.org.

Blues on the Back Porch

September 25 - Lightnin Malcolm Holly Springs, MS 7:00pm Blues on the Porch is a summer music series that brings Hill Country Blues musicians home to Holly Springs, to play on local porches. For more information visit bluesontheporch.com or call 662-278-0388.

Otherfest

October 2 Otherfest Grounds Cleveland, MS Featuring live bands all day on Saturday, food trucks, camping, craft beer and more. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy a great day of live music. For more information, visit keepclevelandboring.com or call 662-843-2712.

Trash & Treasures Along the Tenn-Tom Waterway

October 1 - 2 Iuka, MS 6:00am - 6:00pm This event consist of 50+miles of yard sales along and adjacent to the Tenn-Tom Waterway located in Tishomingo County, MS. For more information call 662-423-0051 or visit tishomingofunhere.org.

Mighty Roots Music Festival

October 1 - 2 Stovall, MS Featuring The Minks, Keller Williams, Jarekus Singleton, Deer Tick and more! For tickets and information visit mightyrootsmusicfestival.com or call662-627-6149.

Carrollton Pilgrimage & Pioneer Day Festival

October 1 - 2 Carrollton, MS Tour historic homes, churches and places of interest. Arts & crafts, food vendors, music and children’s entertainment. For more information visit www.visitcarrolltonms.com.

Mississippi’s 100-year-old Teddy Bear

By Warren R. Johnson

Mississippi can take pride to have been the place of origin for the world’s best-loved toy: the teddy bear. And it’s all because of a strike by the United Mine Workers of America in the spring of 1902. An over-supply of coal caused wages to slack, so the miners went on strike for a shorter work week and an increase in pay. Unfortunately for the miners, the strike and the approach of winter caused the demand for coal to rise. The mine owners and the miners were not able to come to an agreement. However, then-President Theodore Roosevelt stepped in to bring both sides together. He had only become president a year earlier due to President William McKinley’s assassination. Settling this strike was a major effort and a reflection on the office of this new president. By October, Roosevelt was successful. To relieve the stress brought on from mediating these negotiations, he took a vacation. Mississippi Governor Andrew Longino invited Roosevelt down south to join a state expedition to hunt bears. Longino was the first post-Civil War governor and a nonConfederate veteran. He was fighting his own uphill battle to get re-elected, and Longino banked on Roosevelt’s presence in the state to aid his political effort. Roosevelt accepted the invitation to exercise his love for game hunting. He was known as a big game hunter, but was not blind to protecting wildlife; he went on to preserve 230 million acres for public use. Most of the hunting party killed a bear, but Roosevelt did not. To appease the president, members of the hunting party captured a 235-pound bear and tied it to a tree to allow Roosevelt to score his trophy. When presented with his wouldbe quarry, Roosevelt refused to shoot. He supposedly said, “I’ve hunted game all over America and I’m proud to be a hunter. But I couldn’t be proud of myself if I shot an old, tired, wornout bear that was tied to a tree.” News of Roosevelt’s refusal to shoot the bear spread throughout American newspapers, including The Washington Post. The political cartoonist Clifford Berryman created a satirical cartoon depicting Roosevelt’s refusal to shoot the bear. A candy shop owner in Brooklyn, Morris Michtom, saw the cartoon and had the idea to create a stuffed bear and dedicate it to the president. He called it “Teddy’s Bear.” Berryman sent this stuffed bear to Roosevelt and received his permission to call it a “Teddy Bear.” Roosevelt doubted this new toy would be much of a success but Berryman thought otherwise and created the Ideal Toy Company, which turned into a million-dollar business. Roosevelt realized his mistake due to the bear’s popularity, and later chose the toy to be the primary marketing tool of the Republican Party. This mascot may well have contributed to the success of Roosevelt’s 1904 campaign for the presidency. Not only has the teddy bear become a staple of children’s toys, but it also spawned an industry of related products. Most children know A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, which also found a new life as a beloved Disney movie protagonist. Another favorite is Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear, a character found in more than 20 books. There is also Seymour Eaton’s book series, “The Roosevelt Bears,” as well as John Bratton’s orchestral work, “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic.” Thank you, President Roosevelt for your trip to the South. You gave Mississippi their state toy. The teddy bear will continue to be a bear which will never be shot, but will live forever.

Warren R. Johnson is a freelance writer, author, and publisher living in Dahlonega, Ga. The former bookdealer and classical musician has traveled extensively throughout 47 states, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Europe.