Cheryl Mowry’s polar bears will featured in the Gays Mills Library display case through the end of February.

Mowry, a Gays Mills resident, became interested in polar bears while living in Denver in 1991. At that time, a mother polar bear housed at the Denver Zoo abandoned her two infant cubs. With lots of human care the bears survived their mother’s neglect and a bout of the rickets. Although her initial interest in the artic bears never faltered, it was more than a decade before Mowry started her collection that now contains just about anything related to polar bears.

Plush polar bear toys, a nightlight, water fountain, figurines, and a wine stopper can be seen in the display case. From the figurines astute viewers could learn that mother polar bears generally give birth to two cubs.  They might also correctly deduce that Mowry is a dedicated rock picker. Many rocks she has collected add ambiance, and color, to the display.

Mowery purchased some of the collection herself. The Hamilton Collection figurines on display were purchased over a long period of time because of their high cost. Mowry also has many shirts bearing pictures of polar bears.   

Friends and family added to her collection. A friend gave Mowry a polar bear jigsaw puzzle. Once the puzzle was completed, the friend sealed it and Mowry framed it. That picture hangs prominently in her living room. On another wall, visitors will find a certificate identifying Mowry as an adoptive sponsor of a captive polar bear—a status conferred upon her by her children one Christmas.

Stop by the Gays Mills Public Library and let the polar bears remind you of the pleasures, and indeed necessity, of cold weather. If you have a collection that you would like to share with the public, please inform the library staff or call the library at 735-4331.