Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2013 - 21

C Camping at Bear Den:

Country
Roads

A 40-Year Tradition

Wacky games have been a part of the Bear Den gathering for most of the 40 years.

It started out simply enough. Six
Tennessee families went camping on
Labor Day weekend, 1973 – one last
hurrah before school started. Then
they went again and again, and as traditions have a way of doing, the
annual event mushroomed and today
draws more than 200 people. Most
hail from Kingsport, and are friends,

neighbors and family members.
This Labor Day, the crowd will once
again return to the Bear Den
Campground in Spruce Pine, N.C. to
celebrate their 40th year at this spot.
Cathy Harvey wasn’t among the original six families, but she and her husband got involved in 1977. Their
babies grew up going along, and now

Certifiably Wild: You Can Do It Too

The two acres surrounding Glenna and Dub
Julian’s home in Kodak, Tenn. are more than a
yard. They’re a Certified Wildlife Habitat ®.
The Julians are Master Gardeners, but don’t let
that intimidate you. Whether you have a balcony garden or farm, one-half acre or a dozen,
it can be certified. Online certification, through
the National Wildlife Federation, is quick, simple, and at $20, it’s easy on the pocketbook.
If your garden supplies four basic elements
essential for wildlife survival – food, water, cover,
and places to bear young – it qualifies. These
components occur naturally in most landscapes,
but can be supplemented easily and inexpen-

they are joined by their grandkids.
“We call ourselves IFSPRO,” Harvey
says. “That stands for Island Flats
Society for the Preservation of
Ridgerunners and Their Offspring.
“On Sunday before Labor Day we
have our Bear Den Olympics,” she
continues. “We have relay races, egg
tosses and all types of old-fashioned
games.” They also prepare a potluck
feast including about 18 hams they
begin cooking early in the morning.
Harvey recalls one year with a really
special wedding anniversary. The husband went to great detail to show
appreciation for his wife: He spread
out a tablecloth on picnic tables, lit
candles and prepared a special meal.
Then they both sat on the same side of
the table. This caused it to tip over
knocking them back in the grass and
sending the dinner flying in their laps.
Kids who’ve moved away still come
home for Bear Den, even those living
in such remote places as Hawaii and
Australia. And, it’s been a point of
negotiation for some whose marriages
haven’t lasted. The marriage split has
sometimes come down to “You take
the dog, and I’ll take Bear Den,” says
Harvey.
— Marla Hardee Milling

sively. The application might even reveal elements you didn’t realize you had.
The Julians’ garden is an oasis for birds and
critters, but their greatest joy is butterflies.
Catering to caterpillars by growing milkweed
reaps big dividends – dozens of monarch butterflies. “We want to inspire others to create
wildlife habitats,” Glenna says, as she spears
two orange halves onto a feeder spike, an open
invitation to orioles. “Frankly, I don’t know who
benefits more, the humans or the wildlife.”
–Jo Harris
For more inFormation

Visit nwf.org/gardenforwildlife
September/October 2013 | 21

http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife

Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2013

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