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By Monty Siekerman
Did you hear that noise? Did you feel the earth shake a little beneath your feet?

By golly, it’s a polar bear! Of course, there would be a polar bear in Ada this year with the extremely low temperatures the past couple of months.

What’s he doing here? Seems like our furry friend headed south from the Arctic tundra to find his buddy Klondike. He heard Klondike was in Ada, having the distinction of being the ONU mascot since 1923; didn’t get his name Klondike until 2006, however.

It was a good time to head south since Arctic land is pretty much barren of snow in many areas. Some say its due to global warming. Juicy seals are harder and harder to find, too. So, why not vacation in Ada for the winter and enjoy the company of his ole friend Klondike?

What is the visitor’s name?

Well, polar bears aren’t good at spelling. He knew he was called Bi, Buy, or Bye, but which one? He’s had his ups and downs, maybe Bi Polar fits. He has a few Bitcoins stashed away, maybe his name is Buy Polar. He hates to say Good-bye, but maybe Bye-Polar isn’t the best fit. Then there is POLARoid, Nah, that’s not good.

We’ll call him Bi for short.

So, today we feature the ONU mascot Klondike. He was caught by the Ada Icon camera several times in the past year. Klondike makes many appearances at events on campus and in the community. Usually, he is a kind, lovable creature, doing good. However, when it comes to sports, Klondike is mean-looking and roars loudly.

This is a four-part, exclusive Ada Icon series of photographs of Klondike and the visiting polar bear’s tour of the village and campus and the many ‘bear likenesses he found.

Tomorrow we’ll feature Bi as he comes to town and explores Ada. The next day, we’ll find Bi all over campus, indoors and outdoors. Finally, Bi heads to the Sports Center/King-Horn Gym where there seem to be polar bear likenesses everywhere.

Tomorrow—Bi explores the village.