Fred Bear Day President John Wejrowski said Ted Nugent has committed to attend a fundraiser event in support of Fred Bear Day and the group’s efforts to preserve the legacy of Fred Bear, reports The Crawford County Avalanche, based in Grayling, Michigan.

Fred Bear (1902 – 1988) was an American bow hunter and manufacturer. Widely regarded as a pioneer in the bow hunting community, Bear was a world traveler, film producer, and the founder of Bear Archery. Ted Nugent immortalized his friend Bear in the song "Fred Bear", on the 1995 album Spirit Of The Wild.

The group hosts an annual Fred Bear Day event, which will next be held March 1-3, 2024, and is currently raising funds to construct a Fred Bear statue, at Cedar Street Park in Grayling. The statue will be created by sculptor Ben Watts, who created a Fred Bear statue that is located at the National Archery Hall of Fame.

To further support the efforts of the Fred Bear Day members, Wejrowski said Nugent donated an autographed guitar that depicts Nugent and Bear. The guitar will be raffled and the winner will be announced at the March 3, 2024 Fred Bear Day event. Tickets are currently on sale for the autographed guitar and can be purchased from any Fred Bear Day member. Tickets are $5 each or six for $25.

“To be honest, this was Ted’s idea entirely,” Wejrowski said of raffling the autographed guitar. He said the money raised from the raffle will help support the construction of the Fred Bear statue. The estimated cost of the statue project is about $100,000 and Wejrowski said currently about $85,000 has been raised. 

Further details, and a photo of the autographed guitar, can be found here.

In the video below, Ted Nugent performs "Fred Bear" live on the I Still Believe Tour at Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe, PA on August 14, 2011.