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FORTY FORT &mdash; Residents of Forty Fort have come up with a novel idea to make coping with the coronavirus a bit more &ldquo;bearable.&rdquo;
				As people walk the streets of the borough, safely distancing themselves from one another, they can see many homes have displayed teddy bears of all shapes and sizes &mdash; and children, especially, have found it to their liking.
				&ldquo;As you drive or walk around Forty Fort, you will see bears,&rdquo; Mayor Andy Tuzinski said. &ldquo;Lots and lots of bears. Residents are putting stuffed bears and other stuffed animals on their front porches or their front doors for children to spot while out for walks with their parents and loved ones.&rdquo;
				And the bears and stuffed animals are being spotted, taking people&rsquo;s minds off of the outbreak.
				Kathy Hanlon and Kerry Ritondo of Arlington Road said their children, Maeve and Michael, 6-year-old twins, enjoy taking a walk and as they go, they keep track of the number of bears and stuffed animals they see. Hanlon said the walks have brought smiles to her children&rsquo;s faces.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a nice community builder,&rdquo; Hanlon said. &ldquo;It keeps people&rsquo;s spirits up. The kids enjoy going on what they call &lsquo;a bear hunt,&rsquo; and they look to find as many as they can. This is really something positive during these tough times.&rdquo;
				Hanlon said she has seen several people/families walking and they are all complying with the social distancing requirements.
				&ldquo;Everybody is keeping proper distance to assure we all stay as healthy as possible,&rdquo; Hanlon said.
				Hanlon said more photos and comments can be found on the Facebook page &mdash; &ldquo;I live or have lived in Forty Fort PA.&rsquo;
				&ldquo;The kids really love it,&rdquo; Hanlon said. &ldquo;Kerry said kids still need to be kids &mdash; just be happy and positive.&rdquo;
				Hanlon said many communities across the country are doing the same or similar events to keep a positive outlook during the pandemic.
				Tuzinski commended the residents for their understanding of the restrictions that have been put in place during the pandemic. And he commended the parents who embraced the bear display idea and made it happen.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a nice way of showing town unity during some confusing times,&rdquo; Tuzinski said. &ldquo;And it&rsquo;s great for people to be able to take advantage of this and keep in touch with their neighbors while practicing social distancing.
				&ldquo;This is just another reason why I am so proud of our residents, I am very proud to be their mayor.&rdquo;

Making life ‘bearable’ amid crisis