MILWAUKEE - A big, brown, weathered bear has been a fixture at Steny’s Tavern in the Walker’s Point neighborhood for 20 years. A hunter bagged the trophy at least 30 years before his arrival at Steny’s. Now, the stuffed omnivore’s days are numbered. On Sunday afternoon following the Chicago Bears- Green Bay Packers game, someone will pour 151 proof rum on the old bear’s clawless toes, strike a match and light the bear ablaze. Vandalism? No. The arsonist will be under the watchful eye of the Milwaukee Fire Department having won a well-planned raffle to raise money for the city’s Hunger Task Force. “We’ve got to raise $1.5 million by January 15th,” Hunger Task Force Director Sherrie Tussler said. “Right now we’re around a million.” That money is used to provide food to 80 soup kitchens, shelters and pantries. Raising the question: what are Tussler’s expectations for this fundraiser? “I don’t really have any. We’ve never burned a bear before.” With that, the tall, blonde Tussler erupted into laughter. Jerry Stenstrup, the owner of Steny’s, allows that the bear-fueled bonfire is likely to be pungent. “He’s probably full of Styrofoam,” he says. “So it probably won’t be that bad. But, the hair will burn. The hair will stink.” Understandably Bears fans are less excited about the impending pyre. “I think it’s a good charity,” Brian Gregor said as he endured “Burn the Bear” chants and adjusted the Chicago Bears cap atop his head. “But if they want me to, I’ll just take him home.” The bear was burned Sunday after the game at Steny’s. Click on the link under related content to see the bear burning after the game. The big, brown bear was bagged decades ago. “We hacked his claws off, his teeth were punched out, the bear’s been through a lot. He’s been a good sport. Now it’s time to let him go,” Laura Jean Gwiazdowski of Steny’s said. Click on the link under related content to see an interview with a Burn The Bear participant. The bear was burned for charity. After the game, the bear was rolled out into the garden on a gurney and was doused with rum and set on fire. It was a win for the Hunger Task Force and a loss for the Packers. “Our main goal was to raise money for the charity and that’s what we did. We’re going to the playoffs…the Bears aren’t,” Laura Jean Gwiazdowski of Steny’s said. Click on the link under related content to see the interview with Laura Jean Gwiazdowski.