Utah Wildlife Walls will hold a celebration of Bart the Bear and a mural of him Nov. 15 and 16 at the historic Avon Theater, 94 S. Main in Heber City, just across the street from the mural. Special guest Doug Peacock, an award-winning author and naturalist, will participate in the mural celebration reception and Bart Stories panel discussion Friday evening before the showing of “An Unfinished Life.” Peacock, author of the books “Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness, ¡Baja!,” “Walking It Off: A Veteran’s Chronicle of War and Wilderness,” and “The Essential Grizzly: The Mingled Fates of Men and Bears” (co- authored with Andrea Peacock) and “Was It Worth It: A Wilderness Warrior’s Long Trail Home.”Many came to know Bart the Bear over the years through seeing Doug and Lynne Seus walk him and other animals around town to prepare them to be on camera. Katherine and Byron Cheatwood had just moved their young family from a big city in California to Midway to find a better place to raise their children.It was 1990, and the Cheatwoods spent the entire day getting unpacked and organized. Exhausted, they decided to go out to eat and ended up at the venerable Chicks Cafe on Main Street in Heber. “We were sitting at a table next to the window, I looked out, and a couple was walking two bear cubs down the sidewalk. I asked Byron if I saw what I thought I saw because there was no way bears were walking down Main Street,” Cheatwood recalled. “We laughed, and I told him we had come to the right place.” The Cheatwoods, like many other residents of the Heber Valley, came to recognize Doug and Lynne Seus as the couple walking bears, wolves and other creatures down Main Street. Those walks, bowling alley visits and other local adventures were not just casual strolls — the Seuses were training the animals to be movie stars. “Not so long ago when Heber City’s main street was a gentle place, when you passed by someone on the street, you usually knew them by name. Doug and I would take our wildlife for a walk down main street to accustom them to cars, pick-up trucks, cement trucks, and folks coming and going in a friendly way,” Lynne Seus said. “We were preparing them for the hustle and bustle of cameras and heavy equipment on movie sets.”One of those animals stood quite a bit taller than the rest. At 9 feet, 6 inches and 1,500 pounds, Bart the Bear traveled the world appearing in 15 feature films, made eight television appearances — including delivering the envelope for an Oscar at the 1998 Academy Awards — and 15 documentaries.Cheatwood recently had a flashback to her downtown wildlife experiences when she went to visit her son at his office on Main Street. While walking to the office she looked across the street and was thrilled to see Bart — at least, a strong likeness of the famous bear and Heber Valley resident in the form of a mural by artist Chris Peterson.“It’s spectacular. It made my heart skip a beat it is so beautiful and it’s life-sized,” said Cheatwood, who got to see and come to love Bart in person several times. “The second I saw the mural I knew it was Bart. It’s such a fitting tribute, and I love that a camera is part of it. Everybody is talking about the mural.” The mural, located at 81 S. Main Street in Heber at the Body and Soul Studios, is part of the Utah Wildlife Walls project (celebrateutahwildlife.org), a grassroots-led public art and engagement project to celebrate Utah’s wildlife diversity by installing at least one monumental wildlife mural in each of the state’s 29 counties. Utah Wildlife Walls is part of the Utah Wildlife Federation’s outreach program. The mural was made possible by funding from the Vital Ground Foundation and Heber City’s TAPS grant. “Growing up in Provo, I heard about Bart living near Heber. I had no idea how much love and pride Heber locals have for Bart and the Seuss. I am so grateful for the chance to make a mural to celebrate such a beloved animal,” said Peterson “Once I started painting the mural, I began hearing from locals about their Bart memories. The fact that the Seuses walked Bart down Main Street as a training method makes this mural and its heart of downtown location- even more fitting. I love that it will remind many long-time locals of those days when a giant gentle grizzly bear walked these streets.” “Like the famous grizzly 399, the most productive grizzly cub mother in Yellowstone, Bart the Bear spent his lifetime as a great spokesman for wild grizzlies. We owe much to the Seus family. Both bears are gone now. We should celebrate their glorious lives,” Peacock said. Peacock will also be participating in other events throughout the celebration. Lynne Seus will also be signing copies of her new book, The Grizzlies and Us. “It is such an honor to our family and a sweet memory to those who remember him to have a mural of Bart the Bear on Main Street,” said, Lynne Seus, who will be signing copies of her new book. Bart Film Fest:A Monumental Tributeto the Legacy of Bart the BearAvon Theater, Heber City94 South Main StreetFriday, Nov. 155 p.m. — Mural Reception & Book Release Party with Doug and Lynne Seus, Chris Peterson and special guest Doug Peacock.6:30 p.m. — Welcome, Bart Stories & Friday Feature: An Unfinished Life (2005). Doug and Lynne Seus 8:30 p.m. — Q & A with Doug and Lynne SeusSaturday, Nov. 169 a.m. — Grizzly Bear Conservation with select Grizzly short films (free to the public) with Doug Peacock and Vital Ground11 a.m. matinee: The Great Outdoors (1988)Noon-1 p.m. — Book Signing “The Grizzlies and Us” at the Avon Theater by Lynne Seus1-2:30 p.m. — Bart Outtakes & Blooper Reels with Doug and Lynne telling Bart stories (free to the public)3-4:30 p.m. — Matinee: The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1990) (at the Avon)6:30-8:30 p.m. — Intro, Bart Stories & Saturday Feature: The Bear (1988) with Doug and Lynne Seus8:30 p.m. — Q & A with Doug and Lynne SeusThe post Wildlife groups to celebrate Bart the Bear mural with reception featuring Doug Peacock appeared first on Park Record.