Wilton’s own hometown store Outdoor Sports Center has gotten in the holiday spirit, and they’re giving everyone a fun chance to win a $500 Gift Card from Outdoor Sports, as well as star in the store’s GOOD Morning Wilton front page ad! All you have to do is take a photo of you, your friends or your family with the bear outside of Outdoor Sports Center at 80 Danbury Rd., and then post the photo on the store’s Facebook page. The photo with the most ‘likes’ wins.

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Scott (L) and Will Maxwell, of the store’s founding family, next to the iconic bear statue outside Outdoor Sports Center.
Scott (L) and Will Maxwell, of the store’s founding family, next to the iconic bear statue outside Outdoor Sports Center.

The bear has special meaning to the Maxwells, the family that owns Outdoor Sports. The statue itself originally was built on site by the previous owners of the property, Kenneth Lynch and Sons, a statue and sculpture company that worked primarily in concrete.

Brothers Will and Scott presented the bear as a 50th birthday gift to their father Jack Maxwell, (the son of the store’s founders, John and Sydney), close to 20 years ago. The bear has been out in front of the store since then, and has become an identifying landmark for Outdoor Sports Center.

“We frequently see people taking pictures with the bear, and we have even seen some holiday cards featuring the bear. During the holidays the bear gets her own wreath from the local Boy Scouts. It really is great to see that our community of customers has taken such an interest in the bear,” Will says.

To celebrate the bear’s community connection, Outdoor Sports is offering a $500 gift card to the photo that gets the most likes in our contest. The winning image will also be featured for one week in the store’s ad that appears on GOOD Morning Wilton’s front page.

Only photos posted to the Outdoor Sports Center Facebook page will count towards the contest. Contest lasts until Jan. 1, 2015. The photo with the most likes wins. Employees are not allowed to enter the contest. Outdoor Sports Center discourages climbing on the bear.

For more information on the chance to win, visit the store’s website.