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Local legend Bart the Bear immortalized in mural on Heber’s Main Street

Artist Chris Peterson working on Heber City's Bart the Bear mural
Amber Johnson
Artist Chris Peterson working on Heber City's Bart the Bear mural

A Utah artist shares the story behind Heber’s new Bart the Bear mural and previews plans for a film festival featuring the local legend.

The National Park Service’s Fat Bear Week may have wrapped but Bart the Bear will forever be immortalized in Heber City. The new mural at 100 South Main Street features a movie projector spotlighting a carefree, larger-than-life Bart backdropped by Mount Timpanogos.

Two years ago, artist Chris Peterson founded Utah Wildlife Walls in collaboration with the Utah Wildlife Federation. The project’s goal is to install a wildlife mural in each of Utah’s 29 counties as a celebration of Utah’s diverse heritage. 

Peterson said some of the funding for Bart’s mural also came from a Heber City TAPS grant dedicated to the city’s arts and culture initiatives. “Last year, we started working with Heber City to install the brown trout mural on the Mountainview Laundromat on Main Street. As we were looking for spots for that wall, we recognized that we really should do a ‘Bart the Bear’ mural because of Bart’s legendary status among locals here.”

Arguably one of the Heber Valley’s most famous residents, Bart appeared in more than 30 TV shows and films including, “Legends of the Fall” and “The Bear.”

The Alaskan brown bear was adopted from the Baltimore Zoo by Doug and Lynn Seus in 1977 and passed away May 2000. His owners went on to raise a few other bears, including Bart II who famously appeared in the television series, “Game of Thrones.” They founded a nonprofit, Vital Ground Foundation, that supports conservation work for grizzlies in the mountain west.

The Bart the Bear mural on Heber City Main Street is almost completed
Chris Peterson
The Bart the Bear mural on Heber City Main Street is almost completed

“We’re also doing a really cool thing where we're going to unveil a series of screenings at the Avon Theater across the street," said Peterson. "We're going to show some Bart movies, and Doug and Lynn are going to come out. Lynn is just finishing up a book about their time with Bart that she’s excited to share. So that's going to be a really fun weekend in the middle of November.”

The screenings and stories are tentatively planned for Nov. 15 and 16. Peterson said they also plan to install a permanent information kiosk next to the mural where people can learn more about Bart’s Hollywood and Heber Valley history.

Bart was known for his calm presence but Peterson said his encounters with predators in the wild have become some of his most precious moments. “Wildlife encounters are a chance for you to be fully in your body, fully present outside of your mind. And there's something that feels really good to be in that place, especially when you can then emerge. And I've had that encounter with this other creature. My memory holds some magical kind of sense to it.”

And now, the magical memories of Bart will forever color the valley he called home.