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Rolling Fork, Mississippi: Chainsaw Teddy Roosevelt Bears

A local chainsaw artist has carved bears that resemble Teddy Roosevelt. The Teddy Bear was invented after TR refused to shoot a bear cub on a hunting trip near here.

Address:
120 Locust St., Rolling Fork, MS
Directions:
Around downtown. One possibly on the southeast corner of Walnut and Locust Sts. The town of Rolling Fork is on the west edge of the state, roughly an hour north of Vicksburg.
Admission:
Free
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Visitor Tips and News About Chainsaw Teddy Roosevelt Bears

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Chainsaw Teddy Bears

Despite driving around the town for a number of chainsaw Teddy Bears, we could only find one. That was okay, but we had expected more.

[Carolyn Earle, 02/19/2015]

A new carved bear is added to the town every year during its annual Teddy Bear festival, held annually since 2002. There definitely should be more than one bear.

Carved Bear Affair Bear.

Great Delta Bear Affair Bears

The Great Delta Bear Affair was first observed in 2002, on the 100th anniversary of President Theodore Roosevelt's famous bear hunt in Sharkey County, Mississippi, which led to the creation of the Teddy Bear. Since 2002 the celebration has become an annual event embraced by the community. Among the events, each year the city is left with a different 12-foot-tall wooden bear carved by Dayton Scoggins, a chainsaw artist. The bears are formed from a cypress tree stump. These bears stand proudly around the small city.

[J.J. Kwashnak, 06/06/2013]

Teddy Roosevelt came to Sharkey County to shoot bears, but refused to shoot a bear cub. The cub was quickly immortalized as an adorable stuffed toy: the Teddy Bear.

Roadside Presidents
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Nearby Offbeat Places

Replica of Muddy Waters' Childhood ShackReplica of Muddy Waters' Childhood Shack, Rolling Fork, MS - < 1 mi.
Birthplace of the Teddy BearBirthplace of the Teddy Bear, Onward, MS - 13 mi.
Jim Henson Museum: Birthplace of Kermit the FrogJim Henson Museum: Birthplace of Kermit the Frog, Leland, MS - 34 mi.
In the region:
Grave of the Confederate Camel, Vicksburg, MS - 38 mi.

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