Those furry, funny, fabulous black bears of the Cairo area are definitely still in hibernation. But those beautiful, whimsical, artful and historical bears of the 2010 Cairo’s Bears and Butterflies Project and the Hometown History Quest are wide awake. They’re poised and ready to put a smile on the faces of the thousands of visitors and residents alike during another season of excitement and beauty already on tap for this summer.

The 2010 Artist/Sponsor Reception kickoff, held on January 10th at the Cairo Branch of the National Bank of Coxsackie, was an event of fun, art, history and education. Over 90 Sponsors, nearly 40 Artists, as well as numerous community residents and dignitaries, came together to unveil the renderings for this year’s bear forms. While enjoying the fabulous confectioneries offered by the National Bank of Coxsackie, the Sponsors viewed the renderings for the first time and carefully chose a theme for their bear. Choosing was difficult as there were so many unique and distinct renderings which represented numerous themes and ideas including historic, whimsical, geometric, landscape, and traditional. At the conclusion of the day, over 50 bears were paired with their artwork in anticipation of another interactive public arts project that is sure to wow both the young and young at heart.

Artist Linda Hiatt Waldschmidt with her rendering of this year's raffle bear "Vintage Cairo Bear"

County Legislator Harry Lennon enjoying the party with his new friends the 2010 bears.