By Ashlyn Beck | Staff Writer, Abbey Ferguson | LTVN Reporter
Baylor students, faculty, staff and Waco residents started lining up around 8:30 a.m. Saturday to welcome the new bear cubs, Judge Indy and Judge Belle, to campus.
Baylor Chamber of Commerce members arrived at 8 a.m. to decorate the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat for the event, which attracted people from all throughout McLennan County. Attendees sipped on Pop’s Lemonade and sported face paint as they stood in a line — at one point spanning three blocks — to see the bears.
Smyrna, Ga., junior Abbie Wickham is a member of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce and Bear Team. Wickham said the chamber has been preparing for the event for months, and it was exciting to see the Waco community as excited about the bears as she is.
“This is a really, really exciting event for us,” Wickham said. “It is super, super incredible to watch all of Baylor come together for the first time to celebrate the cubs and their long-awaited move to campus.”
Dr. Jeff Strietzel, assistant vice president of provost initiatives, attended the event with his family, who said they loved seeing the bears and watching the community come together.
“The whole community [is here],” Strietzel said. “It’s not just those who are inside the ‘Baylor bubble,’ but folks from all over McLennan County. It’s fun to host people on our campus. This is a great opportunity to show people what we’re about.”
While Meet the Cubs was open to all, many students attended as well. They had the opportunity to see the bears, choose from a variety of beverage trucks, watch a live wood carving of the bears and get a free T-shirt if they were one of the first 500 visitors.
San Antonio freshman Paige Lilly said she enjoyed seeing the bears in their new habitat and getting to know their personalities.
“I’ve been coming here for a long time, so I’ve seen Joy and Lady, but it’s really interesting to see how active [the new bears] are,” Lilly said.
Auburn, Mass., senior and Bear Team member Connor Halloran said he had always wanted to have a role in taking care of the bears on campus and was excited to see others take joy in the bears too.
“We had Joy and Lady for the entirety of their lives, so this is a once-in-20-years event,” Halloran said. “I’m really excited to be a part of a new era.”
