With well-attended events and dozens of visitors from neighboring communities, Bearfest 2025 “was a rousing success,” organizer Sylvia Ettefagh said.

“Everything about Bearfest was successful, and I’m very pleased with the results.”

Among the events that drew the biggest crowds was the presentation “Inspired by Bears” with Ray Troll — a Ketchikan artist and scientist, who is known for his colorful, surrealist images of fish, sea creatures, bears, dinosaurs, fossils and other animals, which are available on posters, T-shirts and even bags of coffee.

“The Friday night dinner was also very successful,” Ettefagh said of the annual gourmet dinner prepared by a Seattle chef. “It sold out very quickly when tickets were made available, and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.”

Bearfest, in its 16th year, ran July 30 through Aug. 3.

Ettefagh said she feels especially encouraged by the number of visitors from neighboring communities.

“We had about 15 people from Petersburg, and quite a few from Ketchikan and from Prince of Wales,” she said. “It’s really encouraging and makes us want to get the word out even more to those areas ahead of time.”

She said the lack of more frequent transportation between the islands is an impediment to special events, as well as the Wrangell economy.

For a community deeply reliant on maritime travel, the thin schedule of the Alaska Marine Highway System has created a ripple effect of challenges. Traveling for personal reasons, such as visiting family or attending events on other islands, has become a hurdle.

“We would like to get something set up where we can have some transportation between Wrangell and Banana Point in Petersburg and Coffman Cove on Prince of Wales, that could make it easier for residents of the islands to travel back and forth for events like Bearfest,” Ettefagh said.

“Having a reliable system in place that runs regularly is something that could benefit all of the islands.”

Breakaway Adventures has stepped up in recent years to provide more runs between Wrangell and Petersburg, often ferrying people a few times a week during the summer, but the schedule varies.

Looking ahead to 2026, the decision was made to shorten Bearfest by one day, down to four days, starting next year.

“We will run it from Thursday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 9,” Ettefagh said. “That will keep everything streamlined, while also allowing for plenty of time for the different events.”