Since 1944, Smokey Bear has preached to many people around the country to help prevent forest fires.

This year, many libraries around the country decided to honor the oldest public service advertising campaign in U.S. history by having a reading challenge for children ages 4-10.

The Montgomery City Public Library is one of those libraries.
MCPL is wrapping up its nearly three-month Smokey Bear Reading Challenge that started on Sept. 1. The event had 35 participants sign up.

As of Nov. 21, five of them turned in their paperwork to be eligible for prizes. The final day of the program was Nov. 28. Three prizes will be given away.

Libraries from all states – except Alaska, Hawaii, California, Louisiana and Minnesota – enrolled in the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge. The challenge began on Jan. 1 and the last day was Nov. 28.

MCPL started its Smokey Bear Reading Challenge a month after ending its Summer Reading Program in July.

“The actual contest started in February and went through November, but we didn’t want to do it during Summer Reading, so we waited to start after Summer Reading in September,” said MCPL librarian Luanne Andrews, who was in charge of the event. “We just let it run three months because it wasn’t asking a lot.”

Participants had to read three books about wildfire prevention, forests and natural resource careers. They had to either pick their own books or choose literature from Smokey’s Reading list on the Smokey Bear website. They also had to earn four badges to complete the challenge and receive their prize. Badges are earned by completing at least one activity in each of these sections – Learn About Smokey Bear, Campfire Safety, Nature Adventure, Tree Exploration, Career Exploration, Wildfire Science and Make a Difference.

MCPL’s Smokey Bear Challenge had a special storytime session on Sept. 9 that included a visit from Montgomery Fire Protection District chief Jessica Davis. The fire department brought its brush truck for the children to look at.

Several other libraries in Missouri also held their Smokey Bear Reading Challenge event such as the ones in Atchison County, Park Hills, Canton and St. Louis County.

“I went to a Summer Reading Conference in Columbia (on Nov. 20) with a bunch of other librarians,” Andrews said. “Two or three people at my table talked about how they had done it. A lot of them did it during Summer Reading.”