The Northeast Ursamen have added the BEAR MARKET to their lineup of activities at their ever-popular Spookybear Weekend! The first BEAR MARKET was held at Bear Week Provincetown in July of 2010, showcasing the talents of many bear artists & craftsmen. The details are still in the works, but plan on visiting the BEAR MARKET at the Boatslip from 10 to 3 on Saturday, October 30th! The BEAR MARKET is produced by RUFF STUDIO of Boston, MA. SpookyBear Weekend is the largest event produced by the Northeast Ursamen, the region's largest continuously running bear club. Call to Artists: If you are intested in being a vendor, please email shane@ruffstudio.com

The multi-club "USO Party" held Satuday August 14th at 168 York Street was abound with bears, leathermen, and drag queen, united in a common cause to support the New Haven Pride Center. It was a night of camo, hot sailors, and elegant performers. The show was top notch, and the crowd was generous. In total, The Northeast Ursamen, the Imperial Soverign Court of All Connecticut, and Mr. CT Leather raised $1540, all of which went directly to the New Haven Pride Center. The Pride Center's co-presidents, Thomas Donato and Joshua O'Connell were there to receive the check directly from the treasuerer of the Northeast Ursamen at the end of the night.

The highlight of the event was an oustanding show by the Imperial Soverign Court of All Connecticut, hosted by Nick DeSabella and the legendary Robin Banks ("Someone Asked and I Told..."). Performers included the current reigning monarch, Empress 2010 Electra, and Morgana Deluxe, the co-hostess of the Sunday Beer Bash shows. A total of $390 were raised in tips alone from the show.

The Northeast Ursamen wish to thank the Imperial Sovereign Court of All CT and Mr. CT Leather for collaborating with us to produce an outstanding event. The Ursamen would also like to thank International Daddybear 2009, Joe Mannetti for measuring raffle tickets all night, and Arturo at WET for donating the coveted Wet-brand lubricant gift basket (one of several gift baskets in the basket raffle) valued at $200, and all those who donated prizes for our basket raffle. The Ursamen also would like to thank Joe and the staff at 168 York Street for hosting our event and showing us a wonderful time. Most of all, The Ursamen would like to thank everyone who came out to support us - we could not have done this without you. We look forward to doing this again next year!

To view photos from this event, please visit our Picasa web album.

Once again, the Northeast Ursamen had a large presence (pun intended) at the CT Pride Festival in Hartford on June 5, 2010, so large that the camera crew from WTXX "Seen on the Scene" had to come over and interview Matt, Skeeter & Harry (actually, it was no accident... Sconcia Wrights Flames sent them over to us!) The interview was a light and jovial exchange about what bears are and what the Ursamen do, and what happens if a member shaves... do they get kicked out?? Click here to see the video or view all of the WTXX CT Pride Festival video segments.

The Northeast Ursamen distributed information about the club, including flyers for Spookybear and the multiclub USO Party, and also had free buttons and fridge magnets onhand as giveaways. Lots of members came out in support of the event, keeping our tradition of support of Pride in Hartford alive. Click here to visit our Picasa Web Album from CT Pride 2010.

The Northeast Ursamen have (finally) announced their new channel on YouTube. "This has been a long time coming," said Skeeter, producer of the 2009 Annual Meeting Show. Critics had other things to say. "I told him months ago to upload 'Julia Child'!" said former President John-Albert, "but my contract is UP!"

Now playing on YouTube, catch the hilarious spoof of Julia Child spoofing Paula Deene (ex-Ursa-presidents and saltines beware!), and the Ursamen's odd rendition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller". While you're at it, don't miss our favorites, including the original Thriller flash mob that took place at Spookybear Weekend in 2009. In the works now is a Bearan Bearan "behind the scenes" video and others. Sorry, in order to see ALL the clips from the 2009 Annual Meeting, you needed to be there (or at the 2009 Holiday Party, where it was reshown with outtakes).

What will the Ursamen have in store for the 2010 Annual Meeting? Besides the obvious answer of, "Well, you need to be there to see it," you may wish to pay close attention to the favorites on the Youtube Channel... they may hold some secrets... well, maybe...

Click here to visit the Northeast Ursamen's Youtube channel.

To help banish the winter blues, the Northeast Ursamen have served up a whole slew of Bear Parties to help keep your juices flowing and to keep things fun. The Northeast Ursamen returned to Worcester's MB Lounge in February for another installment of the Nut & Bolt Party, and let's just say the place was packed beyond what we could have imagined. Out Of Hibernation 2010 was another successful teamup with the Northeast Ursamen, Provincetown Bears, and Mr. CT Leather. The highlight of this event, by far and away was a performance by Kendall who was sponsored by the Provincetown Bears and the Crown & Anchor. If you've never seen Kendall, you simply must go to Youtube and search for some of his videos - he is a great entertainer and cute as hell too.

In April, the Northeast Ursamen returned to Boston for Spring Training II, and what can we say... Boston seems to love us and we just love them right back! The crowd was one of the best we've ever seen, even for a holiday weekend (yes, we packed the place the night before Easter) and we raised a nice chunk of change for the American Cancer Society's "Hope Lodge". Anybody close to the Ursamen knows that cancer is NOT our friend so we do these events to help make a difference for those who need the help. Our thanks goes out to the staff and owners of the Alley Bar who showed us a great time, and to owner Damien who generously donated $100 towards the Hope Lodge. And thanks goes out to the winner of the 50/50 who also donated some of his winnings back to the charity... we love it when people do that without being asked... its very heartwarming! Special thanks to Northeast Leather Sir 2009, Sir Marco & Northeast Leather boy 2009, boy Jim (below) for assisting with our buckets!

Finally, the Northeast Ursamen and the Twilight Guard teamed up again for the first time in many years with a jam-packed "Bear Fever" at Triangles in Danbury. It was a great, great night which gave both clubs a change to mix & mingle. The crowd was quite diverse, with representatives from several other groups, including the Knights of Cumalot (Hillside campers know who these guys are), Mr. CT Leather, the Jersey boys of Leather, and the newly forming CT Crusiers. The event was also a fundraiser for the Queer Spirit Camp. The winner of the 50/50 came from Yonkers, NY and lets just say, the gentleman who sold him the tickets made the sale very, VERY entertaining. Crisco, did you remember to take all your clothes home? Just sayin'. Special thanks to the winner, named Richard, who also donated some cash right back to the charity. THANK YOU!

The summer promises to be full of fun and excitement. HILLSIDE IS ALMOST HERE!! PRIDE is around the corner, and after BEAR WEEK is done, don't forget we have a HUGE event coming on August 14 in New Haven... a very military-themed USO SHOW - if you like uniforms, you're gonna LOVE this. Stay tuned, campers, more is coming!!

People are talking about the Sunday Beer Bash events at the Chez and so far, feedback has been GREAT! In case you haven't heard, once a month on a Sunday afternoon at 4pm, the Northeast Ursamen teams up with the Imperial Soverign Court of all Connecticut and the Sweetheart Bowling League for a community-based fundraiser to benefit the charities of all three organizations. Since the beginning of the year, the Beer Bashes have been held monthly, and the increased frequency has caused the events to grow more and more popular with ever increasing attendance. Each sponsoring organization does something to help raise some funds and make the afternoon fun. The Northeast Ursamen offer up their legendary 50/50 raffle and the Sweetheart league members sell Jello & pudding shots. And who could forget the Imperial Court and their outrageos shows which sometimes involve a bear or two being dragged (pun intended) onto the stage. Tips, incidentally are encouraged since these are fundraisers :o) Meanwhile, you do get something for your $6 cover. Hot pizza is made fresh on the premises and there are dollar drafts and drink specials to keep a thirsty bear satisfied.

Ursamen Members turn out in force at the April Beer Bash!

One Beer Bash of particular note was the April 2010 event where the cover charge proceeds went to benefit "Our Companions", an animal shelter located in Bloomfield, CT. Most people can relate to animals (especially bears!) so this was a wonderful afternoon to help some less fortunate critters who cannot help themselves. The afternoon was hosted by none other than Rachel Lutzker from Fox 61 and the River 105.9.

The Northeast Ursamen have chosen the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective as their primary benificiary for our portion of the proceeds from the Beer Bash events. The Health Collective also has a table set up at the Beer Bash events where attendees can actually be STD tested, or you can ask questions or schedule an appointment for a screening. This is a great way to take charge of your own health and well being. It's your money at work for the betterment of the community and YOU. Your generosity helps make this possible and the leadership of the Northeast Ursamen thanks you!

If you're looking for something to do, the Northeast Ursamen's event calendar always has something coming up to keep a bear active. Sometimes, though, a change of pace is a good thing, and as we all know in the Bear world, there is never a shortage of things to do!

It seems like the winter time is a good time to take a step out of the ordinary and hit the road for a run of one sort or another. Members of our club have been on the go... here's just a few of the many places our members have turned up since late last year.

In November 2009, Daddy Mike, kevin & Arctic, Skeeter, Matt, Mark H, Sean M. and many others turned up in Asbury Park for Santa Saturday, an event held by Buck's MC. It's mostly an afternoon event that attacts bears, leathermen, and all kinds of guys from many points in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. We down and had a BLAST! We met up with all sorts of of friends from Hillside, the Jersey boys of Leather, and made a whole bunch of new friends. Visit the Bucks MC website for more information about the club and Santa Saturday.

In January, Skeeter & Matt, Chis Grasso & James H. took the train to DC and attended Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL). This event was PACKED with bears and leathermen!! Imagine an entire hotel filled with every kind of eye candy you could possibly imagine! Part of the weekend's festivities included the "Parade of Colors" where clubs from all over the country carried their club banners on stage to show they were in attendance. This was the Northeast Ursamen's first official presentation at MAL and will certainly not be the last.

In February, Mike & Seamus from Boston and the prez & first bitch flew out amid challenging weather to San Francisco for International Bear Rendezvous. IBR is presented by the Bears of San Francisco and is one of the longest running bear runs since the early days of the bear movement. The weekend features the International level contests which Joe Mannetti placed in last year - this was a chance for some Ursamen to see Joe step down, and Joe publicly thanked our club for working together in 2009. While in SF, several former members were found in attendance, including Dr. Dave Paul (of Jimmy & Paul), our old friend Jud, and former prez Mikey aka Sluggo!! We also met members of other bear clubs, including the Northwest Bears... "East Meets West" - we are certain our paths will cross again!

In March, Harry W. Hooch & Mike "Sugarbear", Chris S. and others journeyed all the way to Texas Bear Roundup! Presented by the Dallas Bears, this one is a top-shelf bear run that has been growing in popularity year after year. We only hear good things about TBRU and definitely should be on every bear's "bucket list". This year, Harry was invited to sit on the panel of judges for the run's contest, an honor which not to many of us are given. We're very proud of Harry and his commitment to reaching out in brotherhood to our brother bear clubs! And as we know, what happens at (insert run name here) stays at (insert run name here) but if you have an Ursa-abroad story you'd like to share, please send it to us along with a photo to webmaster@ne-ursamen.org.

The Northeast Ursamen would like to thank all those who voted for our club in TheCompleteBear's poll. The Northeast Ursamen have been named the "Best Bear Club/Organization" for the second year in a row! We work very hard to be the very best at what we do, and we are very proud of what we have accomplished in the last two years. We could not have done this without the help of a lot of very dedicated members, friends, and "regular joes" who come out to our events month after month.

Also placing in the poll this year is our good friend Joe Mannetti who won the "Best Bear Fundraiser". We certainly believe he deserves it. As International Mr. Daddybear 2009, he flew to Connecticut THREE TIMES in 2009 to help us raise funds for a variety of charities, including the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collecive and the Alliance for Living, among others. Joe showed us what it is to be a bear title holder, a friend, and a leader. Congrats, Joe, and THANK YOU for all you did to contribute to the Northeats Ursamen's successes in 2009!

Our friends at Hillside Campgrounds earned "Best Bear Campground" again! Ursamen know this the best place for bears to camp in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania and now the world will know it too. Our club has been visiting Hillside every Memorial Day weekend since the club was founded in 1992, plus individual members make numerous return visits throughout the camping season. Our club wishes to congratulate Hillside on winning this award for another year in a row!

Click here for the full results of TheCompleteBear's 2009 poll.

President Skeeter and Joe Mannetti were interviewed in the Cubs Out Loud podcast which covered the Best of the Bears 2009 poll. Click here to access this episode of the Cubs Out Loud podcast.