What can we say, the Bears of the New Haven area came out in droves on December 6th and gave us a night to remember! "Naughty & Nice", the Northeast Ursamen's latest bear party at Partner's in New Haven, was a tremendous success! We filled the lower level of the bar to the rafters and kicked off the holidays with a bang! We were thrilled to have a contingent of bears from Scranton come out and party down with us! Various Red-Cup members were in attendance as well as a slew of Ursamen and countless locals. You would never know that foul weather was threatening because the forecast didn't keep people away... at all!

We held ourselves a Naughty little "Furriest Butt" contest, which allowed five guys to show us their wares, all except the three judges who were blindfolded in order to make their best, unbiased assessment. All eyes were aimed at the front of the room as the contest unfolded. In the end, we sent three guys home with some really cool prizes, the first place winner taking home a wad of cash! We think we made a few happy campers. And Jiggie-Judge Stan survived being blindfolded :-)

Our events have had a bit of a charitable flavor lately and this one was no exception. The 50/50 Raffle raised a healthy sum of cash to be given to the charity of the winner's choice. Our winner named the Humane Society, so we're glad to help a few of our furry friends during these cold winter months. We had a blast throwing this party and look forward to the next one! The Ursamen wish to thank Partners for their outstanding hospitality and all the attendees for showing their support to our club and community! We will have more soon - please check back soon! To see photos of this event, please visit our Picasa web album.

The Northeast Ursamen took Frank's Place by storm on Saturday, November 15th for their first visit back to the area in years! The event, dubbed "Big Bear Baskets" was designed as a food drive and fundraiser for the Alliance For Livings "Essentials of Life" program. The club and the community came out in strong support for this worthy cause. While the majority of attendees were from Connecticut, guys from as far away as Boston & Vermont made the trip to make the event that much more fun-filled. Local bears said they couldn't remember the last time Frank's Place had been so packed!

As food donations poured in, the boys with the 50/50 buckets started their dirty work, leaving behind very satisfied customers. The winner, who wishes to remain anonymous, donated his entire winnings back to the Alliance for Living. As the crowd got bigger, Franks' staff members began shuttling fresh hot pizza and jello-shots around. Hot dogs were also served up to a hungry crowd! During the night, the Prez-elect and others began working the room to find some contestants and judges for the "Biggest Basket" contest. Six contestants and three judges were selected from the crowd. The judges were blindfolded and brought in one-by-one to make their best determination as to who had the best package to offer. The winner received a cash prize and a lot of applause! Pictured below are the contest winner, Paul, and the three judges, Chris Grasso, Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2008; Rick, a local artist-bear; and Barrett, a new member from Cambridge, MA. To see more photos from the event, visit our Picasa web album.

Feedback on the event was overwhelmingly positive "We're so glad to have you guys back here in the area - we hope you'll do more events like this here!" said one local member of the bear community. "This was a total blast!" said Nick, a new member from the Boston area. Sandy, from the Alliance For Living, gave us this wonderful comment early on: "So pleased that The Northeast Ursamen are rising up again! You are dears to think of Alliance for Living. The Can Drive will help our families who are affected by HIV/AIDS to have a healthy, happy Thanksgiving Dinner." All of the evenings proceeds, including 100% of the door charges, were donated direclty to the Alliance for Living. This was truely an event that everyone involved could feel good about. All in all, the Ursamen and guests raised hundreds of dollars and collected over 500 pound so food! That's one hefty basket!

The Northeast Ursamen wish to thank the staff of Frank's Place for welcoming us and showing the bears of New London a great time! The club wishes to thank the folks from the Alliance for Living for partnering with us and giving us the opportunity to give something back to the community. Most of all, many thanks to all who came from near and far, for their support and outstanding generosity!

Bears just LOVE Halloween! Don't believe us? See who was at Spookybear Weekend! Bears from all over converged on Provincetown for the Northeast Ursamen's annual Halloween bash. Visitors arrived from all New England states, New York, New Jersey, Philly, Chicago, Texas, San Diego, San Francisco, Canada, and even the UK! On a more local scale, club members both past and present made a showing at what's become the Ursamen's favorite event of them all.

Set-up crews began arriving as early as Thursday to begin transforming the Paramount Night Club into what's affectionately been refered to as the "Murder of the BearCrows"... oversized, freakish scarecrows with bearded pumpkin-headst were erected and adorned with Halloween scythes, knives, and bloody cleavers, while others were embellished with any manner of spider, snake, and vultures (the crows were sufficiently scared away!). A "Meat & Greet" was held late afternoon on Friday and the Costume Ball later that night. Prizes were awarded for several categories. The "Best Costume" went to the Vegas Showgirls. The "Scariest Costume" went to the bearded guy dressed as "Hockey Moms for Palin!" The "Funniest Costume" went to "The Dick Dock". "Sexiest Costume" went to Dan & Hugo aka "Daddy & Boy". The "Best Group" went to a foursome dressed as the crew of "The Love Boat" - they were a riot for the paparazzi out front! Visit our Picasa Web Albums for pictures of all this and more!

The Saturday afternoon T-Shirt competition was a hit as guys showed off some rather provocative designs (AH!! AHW!!). Saturday night gave us an excuse for another party, so we threw a "Saints & Sinners" party - a clever name for our Bear/Leather/Uniform/Fetish night. We managed to award a few more prizes to guys who caught our eyes with their gear. "Best Leather" went to Rick & Tony of P-Town. "Best Uniform" went to Don of Boston, and "Best Fetish" went to our own Scott N. (who wasn't wearing much...!)

Ursa members were happy to be reunited with Dave & Dave, club originals who moved to Texas several years ago. They were a blast - not much has changed with them except the color of their hair! The club also picked up a few new members from the Boston area! More on those guys soon!

The Club wishes to thank the Crown & Anchor and their staff for hosting us and for their stellar support & service! Our thanks also go out to all the men who helped with our setup and pre-work parties held earlier in October. Finally, a HUGE thank you to all the bears, cubs, leathermen, and admirers who came out and attended Spookybear Weekend 2008! You guys made all the difference in the world! We will be back in March 2009 for Out of Hibernation 2009 and again for Spookybear Weekend 2009!

The Northeast Ursamen rocked the house in a triumphant return to Partners in New Haven on Saturday, October 11th. Bears from as far away as Troy, Albany, Boston, New Jersey, and Long Island made the trip to celebrate with the bears of the Northeast Ursamen with another legendary "Butch & Bruiser's Boots & Boxers Party". The event, the highpoint of the Ursamen's anniversary weekend, was used to raise some much needed funds for the New Haven Gay & Lesbian Community Center where the club holds it's monthly meetings. The Boxer Party, the only kind in the area, allows guys to check their clothes and party down in their sexiest boxer shorts, and the guys always have a great time! Feedback from those who attended has been incredibly positive, and we are scheming about how fast we can get back to New Haven to do it again!

Along with the bears were members of the leather community who came out in support of the Ursamen. Attendees included Chris Grasso, Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2007; and Dominic Lee, Mr. Connecticut Leather 2008. Also spotted in the crowd was at least one Rochester Ram (who was devastatingly handsome, the editor adds). The club thanks these representatives of the leather community for joining with us and helping us make a difference in our community. Rumors have been confirmed that members of the infamous Red Cup Krew were also present in the crowd!

The club raised hundreds of dollars to benefit the NHGLCC, and wishes to thank everyone who came out to support us! The club also wishes to thank David and all the staff of Partners Cafe, who gave us a night to remember! We hope to be back soon, so please visit our events page often! Pictures from the weekend long set of Anniversary Weekend events have been added the photo section with more coming soon!

Skeeter has announced on his personal website that he will be running for president of the Northeast Ursamen, although the Board of Directors of the Northeast Ursamen had no prior knowledge of his plans. In what is seen as an unprecedented move, Skeeter has launched an all out campaign, including a press release, promotional video clip, photos, downloadable poster, and an FAQ; all this in spite of the fact that he will most likely run uncontested.

"This is a total coup!" Skeeter declared, later explaining in his FAQ that the campaign was designed to put some fun back into the elections.

Reports have been flying in that both current and former Ursamen menbers on Facebook were spammed with free Pieces of Flair this week, which apparently are more campaign gimicks featuring Skeeter's likeness.

Rumors are abound that Skeeter will be holding a press conference at the upcoming Leaf Peeper's Potluck.

The club will be holding elections on Saturday October 11th at the club's Annual Meeting. Up for election this year are President, Secretary, Events Coordinator, and one or more Members-at-Large. Member attendance at the meeting is crucial in order for the club to meet quorum and to hold a valid election. Members are strongly encouraged to attend. Those who cannot attend are strongly encouraged to designate a member as a proxy for voting purposes. The meeting and accompanying dinner is a members-only event, however the Butch & Bruiser's Boots & Boxers Party being held after the meeting is open to the public. Bears, Cubs, and admirers from the region are welcome to attend the Boots & Boxer party and meet the members of the Ursamen. Both the Annual meeting and the Boots & Boxer Party are being held at Partners in New Haven. All of these events can be found on the club's new Socializr webpage and on the club's events webpage.

The summertime for a lot of Ursamen and Ursa-alumnae means weekends away at Hillside, and August was no exception. We understand many club members, former members, and friends of the club converged on the Gibson, PA campground for "Bears III" weekend. If you have stories and photos to share, please send them in! Labor Day was another busy weekend at Hillside... Ursamen members Skeeter, Matt K., John-Albert, "Bri-Bri" from Elmira NY, and Mike a.k.a "Crisco" made appearances as well. Members may remember we reported last year that we had discovered the whereabouts of Doug Mike, formerly of Springfield. They're now perms at Hillside and are definitely entrenched in the Hillside community by now! Following the weekend's festivities, Skeeter & Matt journeyed to Kngston to visit Bill & Brad and the wayward Dave R. of the infamous "Dave & Dave" who was visiting from Texas. It was definitely a weekend for reunions and memories!

Click on the photos to view larger versions. Photos & story submitted by Skeeter (who apologizes for being in every picture!)

Matt, Bri-Bri, "Crisco" and Skeeter (missing is J-A).

Mike, Skeet & Doug

Brad, Matt, Skeet, & Dave R.

(posted September 2, 2008)

On Saturday August 23, The Ursamen returned to Springfield for the first time in nearly a year with a healthy turnout at the Pub. "Hanky Panky" was the theme, whose idea was to re-expose bears, cubs, and fans to the classic hanky code... an traditional way of signaling to other men exactly what you're looking for! Several showed up with their own colors, while others got to choose their own from the "grab bag" (which often resulted in people hollering out loud and casting theirs back in for another try). We regained an old member back (Welcome back Ralphtoine!) and passed out several applications that night to some of Springfield's finest! A 50/50 raffle capped the night. Half the pot was to go to the winner with the other half to the charity of their choice. The winner, identified only as "Lionel", chose True Colors and donated most of his winnings back to them as well. See? You too can feel good about the things the Ursamen does!

(posted September 2, 2008)

Many thanks go out to Mike and Todd for opening their homes up to us and being the perfect hosts. We've already uploaded photos to the Picasa web albums so please visit them and enjoy!

(posted August 10, 2008)

The threat of torrential downpours and lightning did not deter attendance at the Teddy Bear Picnic held Sunday, July 28, 2008 at Devil's Hopyard State Park. The club rented the picnic pavilion and provided hot dogs and hamburgers. Members and guests brought all sorts of sides and desserts to share. The event was designed as a membership drive and several people who RSVPed attended AND signed up on the spot! Between the showers, Bears braved the walk down to the waterfalls (oh what a sight) only to be "waterfalled" on by the sky itself! And nobody really complained all that much... Several people (especially newbies) went home with Ursamen tees as a"thank you" for showing up. A great time was most definitely had by all!

To view photos from this event, please vist our photo albums on Picasa.

(posted August 10, 2008)

Welcome to our club's new and improved website! Featuring fresh content, new technologies, and a sleek new look, www.ne-ursamen.org is now online! Please have a look and enjoy your stay!

For techies out there, our new website features Flash animation, Picasa Web Albums, Cascading Style Sheets, plus our event invitations are now managed via Socializr. We're hoping to offer more on our site soon, including multimedia, and we're even considering RSS. For the uninitiated, RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication", a tool that lets the web tell you when we've updated it.

We've also recently set up a group for the Northeast Ursamen on Facebook, the most popular social networking site Hey, we're in the business of bringing people together, so why not? With all this new technology, we're hoping to keep you better informed about what we're doing, but you all know that websites do NOT replace the real thing. As always, come on out and join us where the fun is at!

(posted August 10, 2008)