67th McCleary Bear Festival button design selected
Published 1:30 am Monday, March 16, 2026
The 67th annual McCleary Bear Festival, whose theme is Under the Sea, now has its button that will soon be available for purchase.
At the spaghetti dinner hosted by the McCleary Bear Festival on March 14 at the McCleary Museum and Event Center, the Bear Festival royalty recognized the kids who submitted the top 10 designs, and from these submissions, 7th grader Kaverie Briggs’ design was selected. Her button will be added to the Bear Festival button collection maintained by the McCleary Museum.
Max Walker, father of Queen Zoey and Junior Princes Ella, spent the morning making a Ziploc’s worth of buttons of the winning design and of the top 10 designs. He shared that although Zoey picked the winner, the royalty court all reviewed the designs for how they captured the vision of Under the Sea and incorporated the bear.
Aubrey Wisdom and Nora McKinnon, who are in 8th and 5th grade, respectively, at McCleary Elementary School, were among the top 10 finalists, and this is the first time they submitted a design for the button. Wisdom’s design incorporated her favorite sea creatures, such as jellyfish, and the clownfish from Finding Nemo. McKinnon was inspired by The Little Mermaid and drew the scene where Ariel bursts out of the water. Both Wisdom and McKinnon are looking forward to the Bear Festival and the parade, which McKinnon will be participating in.
The spaghetti dinner also included a raffle for items donated by Spellbound, House Brothers and the Seattle Seahawks. The 67th McCleary Bear Festival will be held July 10 to 12 at Beerbower Park, and for the latest announcements and events, visit https://www.facebook.com/mcclearybearfestival.
