Since 1997, the Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra has been entertaining children and their families during the holiday season in select shopping malls throughout Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, including the Valley View Mall in Roanoke, VA. 

However, as for myself, going to see the wonderful, sweet-sounding, talented animatronic bear orchestra has been a yearly tradition during the holidays with my family since I was a kid in the early 2000’s, and I still enjoy it even as an adult with autism. 

Since the pandemic, the mall has chosen not to set the bears up, as well as in 2021 or 2022, due to maintenance related issues and budget constraints with the mall management. But I was told that the bears were still on mall premises in storage. And it’s left me and fans of the beloved bear orchestra feeling devastated and asking if they’ll ever return.  

So please sign and let the management team at Valley View Mall know that you want to see the bears back at the mall performing for future generations of children and their families who haven’t gotten to experience them before to enjoy while shopping during the most wonderful time of the year. It’s one of the things that drive people to the mall during the holiday season, and I hope this petition can finally get our point across to them.