Boyertown’s Studio B Art Gallery announces an opening weekend of activities and offerings Friday, June 27 – Sunday, June 29, 2025 around the theme, “The Three Bears”, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Bear Fever, Boyertown’s popular community art project. The celebration features additional activities and offerings that will continue throughout July and August 2025 and is funded by The Berks County Community Foundation.
Friday, June 27, 2025
On Friday, June 27, 2025, Studio B Art Gallery hosts a “The Three Bears” Art Opening
from 5-7 p.m. featuring a show of works in all mediums from area artists. The exhibit is
free and open to the public and will run through August 24, 2025. Artists were
challenged to respond to the meanings of “bear” and “bare” as part of the gallery’s “The
Three Bears” summer project. The word “bear” holds many meanings; the homonym
“bare” holds many meanings as well. Artists were also encouraged to respond to the
Bear Fever sculptures—perhaps the sponsor’s mission or details that the artist
displayed on a sculpture. Another suggestion was to respond to an aspect or theme
from the fairy tale “Goldilocks & the Three Bears” like “everything in moderation,”
“respecting others’ space,” or how actions may hurt others.
The art opening includes the release of a booklet titled Bear Fever—It’s Catching:
Bears of Boyertown Chapter #1, created by Diane O’Sullivan with the assistance of
Grace Gibbons, 2025 BASH graduate, featuring 61 Bear Fever sculptures located within
Boyertown. The booklet will be for sale and include photographs and information about
the community’s Bear Fever sculptures. “Folks have been interested in a book of the
bears since we began,” notes Jane Stahl, Studio B’s Director of Community Relations
and co-founder of the Bear Fever project with her husband Paul, “but we didn’t want to
invest in publishing one until the project ends and who knows when that will be!
However, we can add to the booklet in future years, and we’ll have a great start toward
a book of all of them if the ‘fever’ ever ends!”
In addition, the debut of a Bear Fever Facebook page, created by Grace Gibbons, will
be announced at the opening. The Bear Fever Facebook page will allow photographs
and information about newly-installed bears to be added.
“It is our hope that Bear Fever’s website–www.bearfever.org–will be updated soon
with the help of Media Fusion Technologies (MFT),” Stahl adds. “We need to learn how
to manipulate the website with MFT’s assistance,” Stahl shares. “MFT generously
donated the website in Bear Fever’s early days and created an updated one in 2019
that we can manage ourselves, but we need to learn the processes before we are able
to update it. Stay tuned.”
Selfies of Bear Fever fans with their favorite Bear Fever bears will be featured on a TV
monitor in the window of Studio B, beginning June 27 and continuing throughout the
summer. Stahl encourages folks to send photos to studiob@boyertownpa.org to share
their love and be part of the “show!”
Saturday, June 28, 2025
On Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 11 a.m., Colebrookdale Railroad invites children to
StoryTime on the Train. Bear-themed stories will be read by Creative Minds
Montessori School’s directors Mandy Hunter Lobaugh and Judy Hunter. A visit from
Boyertown’s lovable mascot Bearianne will welcome the children. This is a ticketed
event. Participation is limited to 25 children. Tickets for the event are available at Studio
B Art Gallery, Building a Better Boyertown office, and the ticket booth at Colebrookdale
Railroad. Tickets must be presented in order to participate. Tickets are also good for
one free single dip at Colebrookdale Creamery following StoryTime.
Following StoryTime, children are invited to join Destiny Bigler, art instructor at Studio B
and Boyertown Area School District, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. to a Make ‘n’ Take Art
Activity at Studio B Art Gallery.
Sunday, June 29, 2025
On Sunday, June 29, 2025, from 1:00-3:00 p.m., Studio B Art Gallery welcomes writers
and the community to a Writers’ Reception. Local writers have submitted poetry and
prose responding to meanings of the words “bear” and “bare” or an aspect of a Bear
Fever bear or the fairy tale “Goldilocks & the Three Bears.” Their poetry and prose will
be published in The Boyertown Area Expression digital news site beginning June 30,
2025. (boyertownareaexpression.town.news)
Studio B Art Gallery’s “The Three Bears” project includes efforts to engage community
members in the theme-of-the-year. The project, funded by a grant from the Berks
County Community Foundation, includes a variety of activities, organized by businesses
and other non-profits in the community in collaboration with Studio B.
Twenty years ago, Bear Fever debuted over 30 bear sculptures at Boyertown High School’s annual Arts Expo. During the summer of
2005, those 30+ bear sculptures appeared throughout the community.
Today, the original sculptures are joined by dozens more—over 90 at last count—and
more are “in the works.” “Apparently, this community is still not even looking for a cure
for Bear Fever,” quips Jane Stahl, founder of the project along with her husband Paul.
