Hope you don't scare easy because there's an event that promises to raise the fur off your back. It's the 1st Annual Beary Scary Weekend which is going to take place in Palm Springs, CA from October 29th thru November 1st.

"A four day weekend leading up to the last gay pride of the year in the United States. Starting with the famous Bear Koffi on Thursday night, a costume contest and dance Friday evening at Fur Friday at Hunters Patio Bar and a late night after dark pool party, the spooky splash pool party on Saturday at The Canyon Club Resort & Hotel with a BBQ lunch, and pumpkin carving contest".

One of my favourite Bear activists Joe Mannetti (aka Joe Falconi - photo - articles - profile) travelled all the way from one end of the US (California - his hometown) to go to Connecticut to be with the Northeast Ursamen (photo), one of the oldest Bear groups around (founded in 1992).

Joe had nothing but good to say about these guys. From Joe: "The Northeast Ursamen were selected by the public as the 'Best Bear Club/Organization' in the 'Best of the Bears' poll conducted by The Complete Bear website, and after this weekend I can see why very clearly. This is a group of Bears who are as dedicated to brotherhood and supporting each other and the community. The positive energy and warmth that the Ursamen exude is genuine. There was never a shortage of hugs or team spirit. Whether we were gathered together for a fundraising event, outreach, or a great meal the loyalty and dedication towards achieving the best outcome was always there! Kudos to their A-list Board and an outstanding collection of members who always put their best foot forward with everyone they meet and everything that they do for the community".

Pinups (website - articles - profile), the magazine that "exists in book form but can be taken apart and then tiled together to reveal a life-size image", is releasing their latest issue #9 (cover - and wow is their cover model uber duber cute) and are planning a launch on June 20th at the Silverman Gallery in San Francisco, CA, followed by a party at The Cinch.

Run... it's  Bears in Space ... yes, run after the Bears, not from the Bears!... This is a new monthly Bear dance party run by Chris Bowen at Akbar on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, CA. The event is going to start off during the Gay Pride LA Weekend - June 14th, and then they will be gathering every 2nd Sunday of the month. There is no cover this time and they have a 'Beer for a Beard' at the door ~ if you have a beard, well the first beer is on them (hint - stop shaving now).

It's time to make your plans for the first ever Big Bear Adventure Weekend. A Bear's Life and Tony M, in association with CastroBear will be hosting this event which will be happening at Big Bear Lake, California from August 27th thru the 30th, 2009. Enjoy the beaches, boating, jet skiing, water skiing, hiking, and parties. Check out their site for all the registration info and contacts. Looks like fun.

A very cute and cuddly couple by the name of Rich & Ray (profile) from Sacramento, California have turned their passion into a profession. They have started up their own business called Rich & Ray Photos. "They provide a mobile photography service to accommodate the needs of their clients. They cater to seniors, clients with pets, families as well as requests for special settings and effects. They can come to your home or any other location of your choice".

As well, they also do 'Bear' photography which is great for us. To see some of their Bearish work, check out this fine Bearotic article. High quality, and lotsa heartfelt too, very good.

The extremely handsome Joe Mannetti aka Joe Falconi (articles - photo - profile) has been very busy of late. I asked Joe if he could let us in on what he's up to, and this is what he sent. From Joe:

"After winning the Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009 title at IBR in San Francisco, I have been keeping busy with outreach and fund-raising events. I do have a few issues that I consider top priority. One of my main concerns is the HIV/AIDS situation. As an HIV Testing Counselor, I got to witness that people testing HIV-Positive are getting younger and younger. We are losing an entire generation of teenagers and 20-something-year-olds to HIV/AIDS who are getting infected. Older people who are living longer with HIV/AIDS are also experiencing the combination of medical side effects from long-term HIV medication use, living with HIV/AIDS long-term, plus the health issues that many of us experiencing from simply growing older. None of this is good for anybody. I think that we need to start a dialogue with our LGBT youth. We need to listen to them, and we need to do a better job of mentoring them as adults. Ignoring or avoiding a frank discussion about sexuality with youth that are showing high rates of teenage pregnancy and HIV infection is ludicrous! Clearly, they are sexually active! Deal with it! So far, I have given three public speaking presentations in which I got to address youth about homophobia, the importance of diversity, sexuality and LGBT issues. One was at Bienestar La Casa LGBT Center in East Los Angeles at their 15 year anniversary reception on March 20th. The other two were at W University High School in Los Angeles and Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA, where I met with their campus GSA (Gay/Straight Alliance).

I have a few fund-raising events planned for the future. My first event will be my very first step-down from one of my Bear titles. On May 2nd (Saturday), I will be co-emceeing the Mr. Bear/Cub Gay Pride Long Beach contest at Pistons Bar in Long Beach, California! This marks the first event co-hosted by The International Imperial Court of Long Beach and BearsLA ! It is also my step-down as we announce a new winner. On May 8th (Friday), I will be co-hosting an event called Saddle Up LA  with Mr. Long Beach Leather (Matthew McLean) and The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at The Bullet Bar in North Hollywood, CA.  The money raised goes to support The Life Group which provides outstanding support services for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. I am leaving for Connecticut in June to be there for their Gay Pride Weekend. At the end of July, I will be in Columbus, Ohio for their Bear Camp Christmas  in July event which should be a lot of fun. I am organizing a fund-raising event tentatively scheduled for August to promote and raise money for the Community Clinics Campaign . I feel very strongly about making this event a success since it is about supporting much needed improvements in clinical care provided to our Transgender friends in Los Angeles. Life is good! More to come!".

"Come rafting with 100 Bears on the American River! Step out of your normal routine and go on a rafting adventure for two days and 21 miles down the American River just a few hours outside of San Francisco! Enjoy the sun and watch your friends scream like a girl on the Class III rapids. And FYI, these are not intimidating rapids. They are a fun time without being too dangerous. There will be Friday and Saturday night camping at our own private 40-acre campsite with hot showers, flushing toilets, horseshoes, volleyball and more! You can show up Friday night or early Saturday morning. 2 breakfasts (Saturday & Sunday), 2 lunches and Saturday night steak and chicken BBQ, fresh desserts, wine and beer! Sign up soon. This trip will fill up fast! Tents are not included in this trip. The campsite does have tent rental, though. We can set this up for you, just let us know when you sign up. See you on the river!".

Press Release: "The GayVN Awards were held very recently at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, CA and ButchBear won the 'Best Bear Site' award. Other nominees were BearFilms and CyberBears. Never wavering from its original concept of showcasing iconic Bear men, ButchBear has evolved into one of the most recognized Bear sites, expanding into video and print media such as calendars, greeting cards and a coffee table photo book 'Muscle + Fur'...".

Press Release - Showtime Networks and Executive Producer Bryn Freedman (A&E's 'Intervention') are developing a new TV documentary series about gays and lesbians coming out to important people in their lives. Our aim is to create a show that not only helps the people we profile and the LGBTQ community in general, but also uses television's vast reach and power to enlighten and increase understanding of what it's like to feel compelled to hide an essential part of oneself.

We were alarmed by the recent San Francisco State University study about family response to a teen's coming out and its conclusion that "teens who experienced negative feedback were more than eight times as likely to have attempted suicide". The glimmer of hope the study offered however was that "parents who take even baby steps to respond with equanimity instead of rejection can dramatically improve a gay youth's mental health outlook". By raising awareness and visibility, we hope to help people take those 'baby steps' or better.

Our production team includes film & television producer Todd Shotz whose online video campaign against Prop 8 in California was honored on March 14th with the first-ever Human Rights Campaign E-Hero Award.

Freedman, Shotz and the rest of the team will treat the people we profile and their loved ones with the utmost care, dignity and respect, and will provide a support system of counselors and therapists throughout the process.

We are currently casting for the series and want to get the word out as far and wide as possible. To learn more about the show and/or be a participant, please visit our website Way Out Documentary or our Facebook group or check out the interview that 'The Advocate' did with Adam Drucker, our Casting Producer (please note that 'The Advocate' piece is a month old and we are now casting nationwide. We'd like to reach every corner of America, from urban centers to the smallest of towns where it is rare to live openly as a LGBTQ person).

Please don't hesitate to email with any questions or concerns. All inquiries and information will, of course, remain confidential.

Is that Joe Mannetti aka Joe Falconi (articles - profile) sporting some bunny rabbit ears...? Why yes it is...! Actually, you can actually meet up with Joe as he will be attending the BearsLA's fundraising event Bears & Bunnies which will be taking place at the Pistons Bar in Long Beach, California on April 4th. They have some contests lined up such as 'Best Easter Bonnet' and 'Ms. & Mr. Easter Bear'.

The guys who give us BEEF Mag (website - articles - profile) are inviting you to their upcoming event - 100% Beef Men's Weekend - which will be taking place in Palm Springs, California during Memorial Day Weekend, which means from May 22nd thru the 25th. From their site - We Got Your Beef - they have quite a few activities planned out, so head on over and from there you can make your plans and register for a weekend full of 'beefy' men.

Are you making your plans for Lazy Bear Weekend in Guerneville, CA? Wondering where you should stay? Well an excellent choice would be to book a room at the Russian River Resort. The RRR is the epicenter of Lazy Bear and it's a ton of fun to stay there. Greg of RRR is informing us that there are 2 ways to secure your room:

#1 - Come to the Lazy Bear Room Lottery in the bar of the RRR at 10AM on Sunday, March 1st for a chance to reserve one of our best King size and pool side rooms. And; #2 - A limited number of queen size and double rooms are available through eBid. You can join the auction or choose the buy-now option. click here to bid or buy.

Last weekend was IBR ~ International Bear Rendezvous ~ a major event in California hosted by the San Franciscan Bears. It's a full week full of gorgeous Bear men. There's also a ton of events one can participate in, tons of parties to attend, tons of bars and dances, tons of vendors, and then there's the big Mr. IBR contest. With IBR, they have 4 titles and here are the winners from this year's contest:

"From top-left going clockwise that’s Mr. International Bear 2009, John David Elam from Lexington, Kentucky; Mr. International Grizzly Bear 2009, Barry Welch from Madera, California; Mr. International Cub 2009, Jose Ignacio Zurbano from Sevilla, Spain; and Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009 Joe Manetti from Toluca Lake, California" (photo & credits to Bearotic).

The nominees are up for the GayVN awards which will be taking place from March 26th thru the 28th at The Castro Theatre in San Francisco, CA. Someone described GAYVN as the Oscars for the porn industry, and from their they mention that they are "the most respected and recognized awards in gay adult entertainment history". You can purchase your tickets from their site.

When I checked out the link to watch this video, I couldn't help but get choked up. It's from Courage Campaign and it's concerning all those that got married in California before Proposition 8 (articles). There were approx. 18,000 same-sex marriages and now they are trying to have those nullified and a guy named Ken Starr was chosen to represent the Prop 8 supporters once this goes to the supreme court.

Well the Courage Campaign created this video called 'Fidelity' and the music is just way too catchy - a song from Regina Spektor. The video just might break your heart. And after you watch the video, consider signing their letter that they plan on handing over to the Supreme Court.

Thanks to Jacques aka PandaMontreal (galleries - profile) for sending me the link.

Make your plans to head on over to the Eagle LA (website - profile) on February 13th as they are planning a 'Gar Night with the guys who run Maximus (website - profile). There will be cigars available. Come in your fetish and layered leather gear. The Eagle LA bar is located on Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles, CA.

Looks like a great time is being organized for this upcoming fall. It's called Blackfire Weekend '09 ~ a 4 day weekend which will be taking place in Palm Springs, CA from September 17th thru the 20th. There will be a tattoo pool party, a warehouse party, a bike run, cigars, pipes, tattoos, Harleys, hot men, bikers, and Bears.

it's time to get your fur on as Prideworks presents Polar Bear Weekend (schedule - PDF), a fun and fund-raising 4 day event which will be taking place at the Russian River town of Guerneville, California from January 15th thru the 19th. "It is organized by PrideWorks (website), a non-profit corporation based in San Francisco that also organizes the Hairrison Street Fair (website) and Team Bear (website - articles) for the AIDS LifeCycle". For more info, contact them via email.

The extremely Bear friendly leather bar Eagle LA (website - articles - profile) is going to hold their Mr. Eagle LA contest tomorrow evening ~ on January 10th. However things are starting off tonight - Friday, January 9th - with Maximus (website - articles - profile) having their cigar social, then on Sunday they are having their brunch. Looks like a good time, I'll be looking out for the photos. The bar is located on Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles, CA.