Eight small teddy bears, complete with knapsacks on their backs, are departing from Hampstead Elementary School this week to hitchhike across the United States.
Students in fourth and fifth grades are sending the bears on tour for the next three months to collect postcards and mementos from wherever their travels take them.
It's part of a school-wide study of geography.
Finding traveling companions for the teddies apparently is easy enough.
"A lot of parents travel for their jobs," said fourth-grade teacher Susan Adami. "The first will be leaving Tuesday morning for Florida. Hopefully, it can do a lot of traveling.
"You take the bear and pass it on," Mrs. Adami said. "Along the way, we hope someone drops us a postcard. We'll plot [that location] on a map.
"Each bear is wearing a knapsack, so you can tuck in a memento of your state," she said. "When the bears come back in May, we'll find mementos and things they've collected on their trip."
Taped to each bear's T-shirt is a photograph of each fourth- or fifth-grade class.
Teachers sewed knapsacks for each bear.
Inside, a letter explains the project and asks that the person who winds up with a bear in May send it back to the school.
A United Parcel Service label is included for the trip back to Hampstead.
"I saw this idea in an educational magazine a few years ago," said Mrs. Adami, and with other teachers formulated her version of the idea.
The bears were lent for the project by Dorothy Gaspar, of State Farm Insurance in Hampstead.
"Our budget is a little limited," Mrs. Adami said. "I heard through the grapevine that State Farm Insurance has a 'Good Neigh-Bear Program' and I asked for eight bears, four for each grade. Each bear wears a little State Farm T-shirt with Dorothy's name embroidered on the back."
How far can a teddy travel in three months? Mrs. Adami hopes the bears stay on this continent.
"One bear had gone to Europe" in the project Mrs. Adami had read about. "To get the bear back, it comes by airplane, and it's currently $37 from England and $44 from China. We need to be careful with our money, and we don't want to impose."
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Cub Scout Pack 790 will hold its annual Pinewood Derby at 1 p.m. Saturday at Spring Garden Elementary School at 900 Boxwood Drive, Hampstead.
Each car, carved from a single block of pine and weighted to a maximum of 5 ounces, will race in heats for first, second and third place.
Scouts will choose "best car." An adult craftsman race also will be held.
Information: Greg Galczynski, 239-6388.
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If your spring cleanup includes items that are too bulky for regular trash pickup and you live in Hampstead, call the Town Office to register for free bulk trash pickup.
Call by noon March 1 to register items for the pickup March 4.
Information: 374-2761.
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The annual Spring Garden Party, which is a carnival for the whole family, will be held March 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school cafeteria/gym.
As in the past, the bake sale and craft tables, book fair, teachers auction and hot food will be included.
Information: 374-9202.