Bluff Celebrates 2017 Winter Solstice by Burning Two 16-foot-tall Bear Effigies

For the past few years, the town of Bluff has celebrated the winter solstice by burning huge effigies of animals. The tradition was started by Bluff artist Joe Pachak, when five years ago he built and burned a sculpture of an elk he had hunted. Other sculptures have represented a mammoth and a pair of great blue herons. This year, the town is burning two large bear effigies, designed and constructed by the artist. The fire is expected to start around 7pm. To learn more about the significance of this event and what went into it, KSJD’s Austin Cope spoke with Joe Pachak by phone. Click below to listen.