Newly-captured footage reveals multi-colored bears on the loose in an Appalachian urban center.
Narrator: Dateline—October 3, 2001. Fast-breaking news from the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Dozens of fiberglass bears escape the protection of the National Park.
The heart of Knoxville, Tenn., a city by a river known mostly for its devotion to the color orange, has been besieged by these brightly painted bears. The local population finds ways to soothe these savage beasts.
Narrator: Like this flower-bearing gal who appeals to Flower the Bear's gentle side with an armload of daisies.
Narrator: Or this tyke who snuggles up with Thread Bear outside of the East Tennessee Historical Society.
Narrator: But not all relations with these ursine interlopers are gentle. In a twisted turn of events, a thumbless quack calling himself "Dr. Bearwell" let a wounded man suffer.
Narrator: While one of his cohorts in crime takes advantage of the city's trash.
Narrator: Another furred fiend explores the dark side of distilled liquors in bucolic Krutch Park.
Narrator: But all is not lost in this charming, East Tennessee burg. Most of these bears are well- behaved and adored by the locals. And, some, like Newsie Bear, who is decorated with the city's daily rag, discover a more stimulating read.
October 4, 2001 * Vol. 11, No. 40
© 2001 Metro Pulse
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