Over many years a plastic money bank in the form of a bear sat on a small ledge connected to the club’s flagpole. The bear would be put out by the drawmaster or tournament manager prior to bowling. It’s purpose being that when a player delivered a bowl on a wrong bias, custom held that the culprit would ring the bell announcing their faux pas and deposit 25 cents into the bear. Monies collected had little impact on the club’s financial status owing more to the small amount of the fine than the number of times it was required to be paid.

A few years ago for unknown reasons the bear went missing. No one could explain why. The bear was presumably in hibernation somewhere. Many assumed our little friend was gone for good. After its disappearance someone provided a substitute bear in the form of a glass jar with a coin slot cut into the lid. Recently what appears to be the original bear has re-surfaced and once again serves to deter us from delivering the dreaded wrong bias.

Anyone familiar with the history of the bear, how we came to acquire it, what might have caused its long absence, and what led to its reappearance, is invited to contact the undersigned so that this little piece of the club’s history might be made known, especially to those of us who regularly fed the bear.

Eric Ballinger