Summertime.  For many, this time of year conjures up images of beaches, parks and pool parties.  For us, in the gay community, summer is also pride season.  And for a good number of us in the Bear community, summer reaches its high point at LAZY BEAR WEEKEND!

Once a year, for five days in the summer, thousands of bears from all over the world converge upon the tiny forest town of Guerneville in Northern California, by the Russian River.  During these five eventful days attendees engage in an assortment of activities, not the least of which include pool parties, dance parties, bonfires and of course, copious amounts of liquor & spirits!

With a very down home, neighbourhood bar ambience, the Rainbow Cattle Company is especially known for their super-tasty, but villainously-deadly cocktails served in mason jars!  We enjoyed a few drinks, took a quick break from the bar to have dinner at the local pizzeria, and then returned to the bar to continue drinking  By this time our group consisted of many old and new friends from all over the country and even a few from Australia!  It was only the first night, and Lazy Bear was already shaping up to be a week to remember.

The subsequent days at Lazy Bear generally began with breakfast (which for me is amazing, being that I typically know breakfast to be the meal you have after you leave the bar and before you go home!), after which everyone headed down to the pool parties hosted by two of the resorts in Guerneville:  the Russian River Resort (referred to as the Triple R), the main host resort of LBW, and The Woods, a clothing optional resort, both with guest DJs spinning on each day.  On Sunday, there was an additional pool party event closing LBW called Sunday, Furry Sunday.  It is a huge affair held on someone’s private 15-acre property (appropriately named, The Estate) with an Olympic-sized pool, tennis courts as well as full bar service and catering all set to the music of DJ Rotten Robbie from Bearracuda, SF.  After the pool parties the rest of the afternoon was typically spent winding down with a variety of distractions such as showcases of theatrical productions (this year was one based on “The Golden Girls”), movie screenings, wine and cheese socials, ice cream socials and even Sister Bingo, - hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence - with representation from different chapters all over the country.  Come nightfall, the bears were ready to play again, congregating at either the Rainbow Cattle Company or across the street at Yamagata, a bar with a dance floor showcasing some of the hottest DJs from around the country.  The headlining event of each night were the circuit parties held at RiverSpace which is a movie theatre converted into a massive dance space specifically for Lazy Bear.  This year they played host to FLASHDANCE (An 80s retro underwear party) on Friday night, SWEAT (a party presented by Castrobear) on Saturday night and WOOFCLUB (an international dance party series that originated in Australia) on Sunday night. In addition to the bars and the circuit parties participants had the option to attend the nightly bonfires, which were about fifteen feet in diameter with beer and liquor served in abundance.  And as if all the officially scheduled events at LBW weren’t enough there were plenty of parties and socials organized by various event participants held at either the campsites, cabins or houses that the respective hosts were staying at. Otterpop was a house party hosted by a group of friends from San Francisco who were renting a two-story, multi-bedroom house for the weekend. An enchilada dinner was hosted by friends of ours who are Guerneville locals, with whom some of us stay when we come out for this bear run.

What REALLY makes Lazy Bear Weekend so special for me are the MEN!  Okay, let’s start with our mind outside of the gutter for just a short moment!  This annual bear run has blessed me with some of the best friendships I’ve ever had  These are men from all over the country who I can proudly call my brothers.  Regardless of what we may understand the bear community to be there’s no disputing that it was born out of a brotherhood striving to embrace and celebrate our diversity.  And it is at Lazy Bear Weekend that you can truly experience that brotherhood, even if for just a little while.  Of course I’d also be lying if I said that the eye candy wasn’t mouth-watering!  Everything that is beautiful and sexy about the men in the Bear community can be found at Lazy Bear.  Gorgeous bears of all shapes, sizes and colours as far as the eye can see.

Needless to say Lazy Bear Weekend is nothing short of amazing, and has to be experienced to be believed.  ANow that I’m able to stow this year’s event into my memory banks I eagerly await next year’s event, and strongly recommend that if you can attend only one major bear run in the year, make it Lazy Bear Weekend.  It will definitely be a vacation you will never forget!

Organized by Castrobear in San Francisco, Lazy Bear Weekend “puts the FUN in fund-raising.”  With the generous contributions from sponsors & private donations as well as funds received from the sale of Lazy Bear merchandise and their primary fund-raising tool - the Lazy Bear event tags - the Lazy Bear Fund raises desperately needed money for a variety of worthy causes.  Visit their website at: www.lazybearweekend.com for more information regarding the next event, to view pictures from past years or to watch a documentary made about the annual bear run.