8-11-2025 4:20am

Second Printing for "Bear Fever: It's Catching" Booklet Coming Soon

Lesley Misko Editor

Photograph courtesy of Julie Krasley of Chestnut Knoll

by Jane Stahl

Bearianne, Building a Better Boyertown's (BaBB) mascot, attended the launch of Diane O'Sullivan's Bear Fever: It's Catching--Chapter #1 featuring in-town bears at Chestnut Knoll recently to congratulate Diane and greet the crowd who came to purchase booklets about Boyertown's popular community art project.

Photography courtesy of Kelly Clark of Chestnut Knoll

But who knew that within 24 hours the 100 available copies were in the hands of Bear Fever fans requiring a second printing! (Note: Chestnut Knoll retained a few copies that may be available as of this writing.)

The launch attracted a steady stream of fans. Bear Fever fans are some of my favorite people, and some who attended were my students when the project began over 20 years ago; it was wonderful to catch up with everyone and celebrate the project that many say put Boyertown on the map.

Photograph courtesy of Kelly Clark of Chestnut Knoll

Channel 69 News covered the launch with an interview with Diane. Find the segment: wfmz.com

" Bear Fever: New book celebrates Boyertown community art | Eastern Berks County | wfmz.com"

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/eastern-berks-county/bear-fever-ne…

I was delighted the following morning to receive an email with generous praise for the Bear Fever project and for Diane's efforts in creating the booklet along with a promise to be part of our "sales team." Included was a realization that the booklet created a need to revisit each bear for a closer look, to find details that had previously gone unnoticed.

Additional copies will be available at Studio B Art Gallery and BaBB's office. Visit Bear Fever on Facebook to learn when they are available. Preorders or inquiries can be directed to Jane Stahl janeEstahl@comcast.net or Diane O’Sullivan, Diane.osullivan111@gmail.com. Payment can be made by cash, check or credit card.

The booklet is part of the studio’s “The Three Bears” summer project, funded by The Berks County Community Foundation. Diane O’Sullivan, a relative newcomer to the Boyertown area, spent months researching its history and information on the bearfever.org website, watching videos students created when the project began, listening to CD's featuring sponsors and artists sharing details about their bears, taking photographs of the bears, meeting with artists and sponsors.

Then, with the assistance of Boyertown High School 2025 graduate Grace Gibbins who is headed to college to major in the graphic arts, she created the booklet--Chapter #1--that includes the 61 in-town bears. Chapter #2, planned for 2026, will include Bear Fever bears that reside outside of town, are installed on private residences, or have left the area with their sponsors.

Diane recounts her involvement with the project in her introduction to the booklet, giving credit to her late mother for the motivation to create it. Paul and I had planned to publish a book about the bears when we first started the project. But because the project continues, adding new bears all the time, we didn’t want to invest in publishing a book that wouldn’t include all of them. Diane has pledged to continue adding to the booklet as new bears arrive--a chapter at a time. If the project ever ends, a hard cover copy could be published.

A transplant to the area from New Jersey following a career in the telecommunications industry, Diane is perfect for the project. I just love her spunk and enthusiasm. She has the drive, the organizational work ethic, communication, administrative, managerial, photography, and computer skills a project like this requires. I’ve been totally "hands off," excited and relieved to have such an amazing partner in this project who may continue Bear Fever for the community beyond my involvement, whenever that time comes!

Photograph by George Sullivan
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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.

This year’s theme—“The Three Bears”—celebrates the 20th anniversary of Bear Fever, Boyertown’s popular community art project. 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.