By Zainab Richardson | Staff Writer, Rylie Painter | Broadcast Reporter
For decades, two bears have been the face of Baylor. Saturday, the latest additions to that legacy, Judge Indy and Belle, celebrated their third birthdays.
LTVN’s Rylie Painter has more on this celebration.
The Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat hosted the annual celebration from 9 a.m. to noon, bringing together the Baylor and Waco community.
Many students came to the celebration for the free perks like the shirt and cake, among other reasons. Houston freshman Emma Emis said she attended to get a glimpse of the iconic bears.
“What brought me out was the free T-shirt, definitely,” Emis said. “Additionally, I’ve also just wanted to get to know Indy and Belle more. I thought it would be really fun to see them for their birthdays.”
This Baylor tradition has remained distinct throughout history, mascots included. It is a celebration that focuses on a living tradition that revolves around the annual milestone of Baylor’s mascots. Despite this rich history, Emis said the event is different from other Baylor traditions.
“It’s an excuse to get out, even though it’s cold, and to put on our party hats and to have a blast,” Emis said.
The event involved an inflatable bouncing castle, balloons, cake and more excitement. Behind this birthday celebration are the bears’ caretakers who organized this event. Canyon Lake junior Mackenzy Sweet, said it was a struggle to get to the event, but she persisted.
“We do this every year, and we did it with Joy and Lady, and now we’re doing it again with our Indy and Belle as well,” Sweet said. “It has been warm, a lot warmer in the past. And then with all of that snow and ice, there were a few vendors and things that we weren’t able to get quite as we envisioned.”
Despite the unexpected weather, the preparations that went into the celebration did not go unnoticed by students. Littleton, Colo., freshman Virginia Romero said she loved the event.
“They had little chalk signs next to the bears saying they’re 36 months old,” Romero said. “All these are little fun facts about the bears.”
Despite the cold weather, the annual celebration drew in a crowd of students. Raleigh, N.C., junior Tate Hershfeld said he loves the annual event.
“We’d love to celebrate them,” Hershfeld said. “Just enjoy kind of bringing out the Baylor community and all behind our mascot.”
