Vote for the Fattest Bear in Alaska - Yes, Really

I am taking a departure from talking about writing romances or my personal life this week.  The last few days haven’t been a lot of fun (dealing with insurance, and I think my computer is about to die) so I decided this week’s blog should make up for that. 
 
Have you ever heard of Fat Bear Week?  I hadn’t either.  But as I just learned, Katmai National Park in Alaska runs an annual online contest every October for people to vote on their favorite fat brown bear.  This time of year, the brown bears in Alaska are shoveling in food and bulking up to prepare for up to six months of hibernation.  They eat up to 90 pounds of food a day, and end up with huge bellies full of fat which they’ll live while in their dens over the long winter.  (This is one instance when being the fattest is a good thing, because it indicates good health – for a bear – and a better chance of survival.)
 
The contest started yesterday, and the first round of eliminations is nearly complete, so get your votes in now! 
 
Here is a link to a press release from the National Park Service with more information:
https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/news/river-river-in-the-fall-who-s-the-fattest-bear-of-all.htm
 
And here is a link to the voting on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KatmaiNPP/
 
If you want to choose based on more than just a name, you can even watch the parks bear cams to help you decide.  The winner of “Fattest Bear 2019” will be announced on Tuesday, October 8th. 
 
I freely admit this is a bit of a departure from my more typical blog topics, but I will also freely admit that for those of us who have had a long week, this might be just the sort of fun diversion we need, at least for a few minutes.  So get your vote in.  Somewhere in Alaska, a brown bear is waiting to be crowned.

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