Are you prepared for Tuesday? We have an election, although no politicians are involved. It’s Fat Bear Tuesday. According to the National Parks Service website, “people chose which bear to crown in this March-Madness style bracket where bears are pitted against each other for your vote.” Seriously.
According to the NPs, Fat Bear Week is “an annual celebration of success. All bears are winners but only one true champion will emerge.” Last year, 800,000 votes were cast, which is a higher turnout than in many state elections.
The election jurisdiction is Katmai National Park in Alaska. The bears live at Brooks River. You can download your bracket here. Choose which bear “you believe best exemplifies fatness.”
Fat Bear Week has been around since 2014 and has been dominated by a (we assume large) bear named Otis. Otis has won 4 times. Last year, the NPS expanded the contest to include the “Fat Bear Junior” bracket.
We know this is not technically a candidate or ballot measure election, but we all need a brief break from the campaign trail. So visit the website and choose your favorite Fat Bear. Weather.com also has information and photographs.