Wrangling the world’s biggest Smokey Bear

Two Forest Service employees helped handle the Smokey Bear balloon in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Cathy Dowd

Fire and Aviation Management

December 6, 2024

Smokey Bear balloon is held down by people wearing ponchos on city street. — Smokey Bear makes his way along the parade route with his group of 40 balloon handlers below. Alex Robertson is the tallest handler on the left. *(Photo courtesy of Robin Robertson)*

“Smokey, Smokey!”

Tess McCarville and Alex Robertson revel hearing this chant for three hours as they slowly walk 2.5 miles, holding the ropes of a 16-foot long, 25-foot wide and 51-foot-tall Smokey Bear balloon in the 98th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The excitement and anticipation are contagious. McCarville and Robertson can feel the incredible passion that New Yorkers, visitors and volunteers have for the event.

“The dedication and commitment by the volunteers that organize and produce the parade goes beyond anything I have ever seen,” said Alex Robertson, director of fire, fuels and aviation for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska Regions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.

Last week, Robertson and McCarville — a training specialist for the Forest Service’s national fire and aviation management program — traveled to New York City to represent the agency as rope handlers for the Smokey Bear balloon.

Two people standing on a blue tarp in rain ponchos smile at the camera, one holding a rope attached to a massive balloon above. — Tess McCarville and Alex Robertson dressed in matching coveralls and rain gear to help wrangle the iconic Smokey balloon this rainy Thanksgiving. Robertson holds the balloon tether that will keep the bear from drifting too high along the 2.5 mile parade. *(USDA Forest Service photo by Mike Lawrence for the Ad Council)*

“The big city of New York tested our small-town comfort at every turn. We eventually ended up where we needed to be to get costumed and shuttled to the start,” said Robertson. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not fully cooperate and the rain that started early Thursday morning continued throughout the entire parade. We were lucky though because there was little wind and that meant we could fly the balloons!”

“Only you can prevent wildfires”

The two were among dozens of handlers wearing matching coveralls wrangling the legendary balloon. The Forest Service partners with the National Association of State Foresters and the Ad Council in the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Committee to bring Smokey’s message to various platforms, including the parade, as part of the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign.

“I was amazed to see and experience such an iconic event that I have watched on TV on Thanksgiving Day all the way back to my childhood,” said Robertson.

A group of people in rain gear unwrap a large bear balloon on a city street. — Behind the scenes, Alex Robertson, director of fire, fuels and aviation for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska Regions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, helps unfurl the Smokey Bear balloon for his big moment. *(USDA Forest Service photo by Tess McCarville)*

The original balloon first floated in the 1966 parade and retired in 1993. A new balloon celebrated Smokey’s 75th birthday and his return to the parade in 2019. This year for his 80th birthday, Smokey and his two coworkers, McCarville and Robertson, reached over 31 million parade viewers on TV and along the parade route.

“Thousands and thousands of people from all over the world lined the streets. They yelled and cheered as soon as Smokey Bear came into their view,” said Robertson. “The parade was an incredible experience, and Tess and I were honored to represent the Forest Service.”